Eight Americans who were quarantined in Nebraska for six weeks after being exposed to a hantavirus outbreak have been released, ending a mandatory isolation that some had labeled unconstitutional.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said the 42-day detention was necessary to protect public health.

The group had been among dozens of passengers evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship, where three people died and 13 others were diagnosed with the Andes strain of hantavirus.

The ship, which sails under a Dutch flag, had been stationed in the Canary Islands before the outbreak.

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Eighteen Americans were transported to the National Quarantine Unit in Omaha in early May, following the deaths and confirmed infections aboard the vessel. None of the quarantined passengers later tested positive for the disease.

On Monday, HHS confirmed that the last remaining eight Americans were cleared to leave. The agency said the quarantine had worked as intended, citing collaboration between multiple levels of government to ensure a safe resolution.

“Through close collaboration among federal, state, and local partners, HHS helped protect the American people, contain potential risks, and bring this response effort to a successful conclusion,” spokesperson Emily Hilliard said in a statement.

However, at least one passenger described the experience as involuntary detention. Angela Perryman told the Associated Press she felt she had been “held against her will.” She said she and the remaining group learned around lunchtime on Sunday that they were being released from the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

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According to Perryman, she immediately requested a flight home to Florida, which the government covered, while others stayed overnight and departed Monday. “We were locked in our rooms until 1.55pm,” she said. “And at two o’clock, ‘OK, well, everybody walk out and go home.’”

Health law scholars questioned the legality of the quarantine extension, noting that the HHS secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, had reportedly overridden the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation that passengers be allowed to self-quarantine at home.

Lawrence Gostin, professor at Georgetown University Law Center, described the detention as “arbitrary, capricious and unjust” because officials failed to show a significant public risk.

James Hodge, who directs the Public Health Law and Policy Center at Arizona State University, said using “unconstitutional, ill-advised, unproven techniques to control infectious diseases” could undermine future public health efforts.

Perryman accused Kennedy of turning the quarantine into “a political stunt.” The health department has not commented on that claim.

Most of the evacuees from the Hondius were citizens of other nations. Among the fatalities were a Dutch couple believed to have first encountered the virus during a trip to South America.

At least 30 other passengers had disembarked before the outbreak was fully identified, including seven Americans who were allowed to isolate at home under monitoring.

When the ship docked in the Netherlands, 25 crew members and two onboard medical personnel were placed in quarantine.

The Andes virus is the only known hantavirus strain that can pass between humans, and symptoms can take as long as 42 days to appear. That timeline matched the six-week Nebraska quarantine imposed by HHS out of caution.

While they waited, the Americans housed in Omaha were provided with meals from local restaurants and food trucks. Nurses also made regular deliveries, including Starbucks orders.

Each room in the quarantine facility included a desk, television, internet, and fitness equipment to help maintain comfort during isolation.

One of the travelers, Boston-based blogger Jake Rosmarin, celebrated his release with social media posts thanking quarantine staff and the Omaha community.

“Thank you for showing us kindness, compassion, and humanity every single day,” he wrote, expressing gratitude for the care extended throughout their stay.

His final post showed him leaving his room with two suitcases and a backpack before boarding a plane home, where he said he looked forward to reuniting with his fiancée and family.