An Air France aircraft was rerouted to Canada instead of entering U.S. airspace over concerns that a passenger might have been exposed to the Ebola outbreak in Africa.
Originally, Air France Flight 378 was slated to touch down at Detroit Metro Wayne Airport in Michigan on Wednesday afternoon. However, it altered its course, landing at Montreal Trudeau International Airport in Canada.
U.S. authorities halted the plane’s entrance into the country after discovering that a passenger from the Democratic Republic of Congo had mistakenly boarded, according to information from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection shared with CBS News.
A spokesperson for CBP explained, “The passenger should not have been on the flight due to existing entry restrictions aimed at minimizing Ebola virus risks. Consequently, CBP acted promptly, preventing the flight from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and directing it to Montreal, Canada, instead.”
The flight was operating in cooperation with Delta Airlines during its diversion to a new destination.
Air France acknowledged the situation, stating that at the behest of U.S. authorities, Flight AF378 was redirected to Montreal because a Congolese passenger was refused entry into the United States. An Air France representative informed WXYZ, “There was no medical emergency on board, and as with all airlines, Air France is obliged to adhere to the entry regulations of the countries it serves.”
Ongoing outbreaks in Eastern and Central Africa have forced government agencies to adjust protocol and restrict travel from anyone who has visited the affected region into the US.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Homeland Security implemented Monday heightened measures, including enhanced travel screening, restricted entry and public health measures to prevent Ebola from entering the country.
Wednesday’s diverted flight came a day before a new DHS initiative was to go into place that would require flights carrying passengers from the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan to land at Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia, according to a memo viewed by CBS News.
The restrictions are expected to go into effect on Thursday.
The DRC currently has 600 suspected cases of Ebola, with 139 deaths being blamed on the disease, according to Reuters.
Fifty-one cases have been confirmed in the Central African country, and at least two patients in neighboring Uganda.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attempted to lower the fear of a potential widespread outbreak, saying the risk of a global spread is low but cautioned the outbreak has could be bad for the region.
“We know the scale of the epidemic is much larger,” Ghebreyesus said after revealing the 51 confirmed cases on Wednesday.
“Beyond the confirmed cases, there are almost 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected,” he said.
“We expect those numbers to keep increasing.”
