An Air France flight travelling from Paris to Detroit was diverted to Canada after a passenger who had recently been in an Ebola-affected region boarded the aircraft despite US entry restrictions, according to The Guardian.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the traveller should not have been allowed on board under new measures introduced to limit the spread of the virus. “Due to entry restrictions put in place to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus, the passenger should not have boarded the plane,” a CBP spokesperson said.
The flight, already en route to Detroit, was denied permission to land and redirected to Montreal. Officials said the decision was taken in coordination with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to “protect public health and reduce the risk of Ebola disease introduction into the United States”.
Health authorities in Canada later assessed the passenger and confirmed they were not showing symptoms. The Public Health Agency of Canada said a quarantine officer examined the traveller and found them to be asymptomatic. The passenger later returned to Paris, while the rest of those on board continued to Detroit.
US tightens Ebloa travel rules
The diversion comes as the US tightens temporary travel rules linked to an Ebola outbreak in parts of central and east Africa. Current measures restrict entry for non-US citizens who have been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the past 21 days. Additional screening and routing requirements have also been introduced.
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According to the World Health Organization, there have been nearly 600 suspected Ebola cases and around 139 suspected deaths so far. Officials say the actual scale may be higher, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The WHO director-general said 51 cases have been confirmed in the DRC, adding that the outbreak is likely larger than reported. Uganda has also confirmed cases. An American citizen working in the DRC has tested positive and was transferred to Germany for treatment.
Authorities say the risk to the US remains low but stress that precautionary measures are necessary to limit the spread of the virus.
