A Hazmat team rushed on to a plane from Philadelphia in the Dominican Republic after a man sneezed and yelled: 'I have Ebola!'
The
American passenger, who does not have Ebola, was detained by four
officers and taken to the airport's medical center in Punta Cana as he
declared: 'I ain't from Africa'.
The
remaining 255 people were forced to stay on board for two hours until
he was cleared, despite airline staff insisting they believed it was a
poor-taste joke.
Warning: A flight attendant warned passengers an 'idiot' had provoked them to call a Hazmat team on board
Fears: Passengers on the US Airways flight from Philadelphia covered their faces as the officers investigated
Detained: This is the man that sneezed and yelled 'I have Ebola!' as the four-hour flight neared Punta Cana
The
incident on Wednesday came as the White House agreed to step up medical
screening at hospitals across the nation after the first man diagnosed
of Ebola in the US died.
Clad in blue protective overalls, four officers boarded the plane as passengers sat near the man covered their faces.
The
man had reportedly been sneezing and coughing through the four-hour US
Airways flight - an early sign of the often fatal disease.
A video taken
by one of the passengers in the middle of the Boeing 777 shows
passengers standing up ready to leave before a flight attendant on a
speakerphone tells everyone to sit down.
Emergency measures: Security has been
stepped up on American airlines after Thomas Eric Duncan brought Ebola
to Dallas, Texas, from Liberia. He has since died and 10 people in touch
with him are being monitored
Taking no chances: Officials conceded that the incident seemed to be a hoax but they couldn't take a chance
Questions: The 'unbalanced' man made the 'poor-taste joke' for attention, officials deduced in an interview
Lengthy: The four Hazmat officers are videoed carefully ascertaining which passenger made the joke
Ordered: He is then ordered out of his seat and taken for further questions and medical tests
She then started by explaining that 'after 30 years in the business' she is sure 'this man is an idiot'.
However, a team would be boarding the plane that 'looks scarier than it is'.
People
filming the incident on their phones shouted 'boo!' at the unnamed
passenger as he was forced to stand and remove his luggage from the
overhead compartment before being escorted off the plane.
He then underwent intensive medical checks and interviews with airport officials to determine that he had been joking.
'I ain't from Africa': The unnamed man is booed by his fellow passengers as he is escorted off the plane
Hoax: His passport shows no signs of being in or near Africa, and the closest he came was a trip to Europe
Waiting: His fellow passengers were forced to wait on board for two hours until he was cleared
'It
was a false alarm set off by the passenger who is slightly unbalanced,'
Alberto Smith, director of operations at Punta Cana Airport, told Acento.com.do.
He did not elaborate on what he meant by 'unbalanced'.
He
added that the passenger 'did it for attention', and explained: 'His
passport does not show any recent trips to Africa. The closest he came
to the continent was in 2012 when he visited Europe.'
Measures: Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic now follows CDC guidelines in a bid to ward off the disease
Walter Zemialkowski, director of terminals and maintenance at the airport, said the passenger is believed to have the flu.
Ten
people, including seven healthcare workers and three family members,
are considered at high risk for Ebola after they were exposed to Thomas
Eric Duncan - the first US Ebola victim to be diagnosed in the country
and die - after he became contagious.
Another 38 more are being monitors by the CDC for possible risk of the disease.
No comments:
Post a Comment