An Air France flight from Paris to Detroit was diverted to Canada on Wednesday because a passenger on board was blocked from entering the United States under Ebola-related travel restrictions, authorities said.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said in a statement that the agency took “decisive action” after the passenger from the Democratic Republic of Congo boarded the plane “in error.”
“Due to entry restrictions put in place to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus, the passenger should not have boarded the plane,” the statement said. The plane was barred from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and diverted to Montreal, it added.
The Department of Homeland Security published new travel restrictions Thursday, directing those traveling from or who have recently been in three African countries to land at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, where it says the U.S. government is concentrating public health resources.
The Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda has been linked to nearly 600 suspected cases and 139 deaths, the World Health Organization has said. It has been declared a public health emergency of international concern, but officials say it is not a pandemic.
Air France confirmed in an emailed statement Thursday that Flight 378 was diverted to Montreal after a Congolese passenger was denied U.S. entry. “There was no medical emergency on board, and like all airlines, Air France is required to comply with the entry requirements of the countries it serves,” it said.
The passenger was assessed by a quarantine officer before flying back to Paris, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported, citing a statement from Canada’s public health agency. Health officials determined the passenger was asymptomatic, it said.
The new travel restrictions announced Thursday direct all flights carrying people who have been in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the past 21 days to arrive at Dulles Airport, citing public health measures. South Sudan has not reported cases in the current outbreak, but is considered high-risk due to its proximity to affected areas, DHS said.
The restrictions apply to flights departing Thursday and are open-ended. The text does not distinguish between U.S. citizens and noncitizens, though it says crew and cargo flights are exempt.
U.S. health authorities had announced travel restrictions Monday for a 30-day period citing an ongoing public health risk from the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus. No vaccines exist for this version of the virus driving the current outbreak, WHO health officials have said, with the closest candidates under development likely to take at least six to nine months.
Monday’s restrictions applied to those who have been in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the past 21 days, but U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals and permanent residents were exempt. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also announced enhanced public health screening and traveler monitoring for people arriving from affected regions and said it would coordinate with airlines and port-of-entry officials to manage travelers who may have been exposed to the virus.
WHO officials expect the number of cases to grow as testing operations are scaled up. An American doctor who tested positive for Ebola while working in Congo was taken to Germany for treatment. Six other Americans who are high-risk contacts were also to be taken there, the CDC said.
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