An Air France flight bound for Detroit, Michigan, was diverted to Montreal, Canada, on Wednesday after a passenger from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) boarded the plane in violation of new Ebola-related travel restrictions, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said.
“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 in a statement. “CBP took decisive action and prohibited the flight carrying that traveler from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County airport, and instead, diverted to Montreal, Canada.”
The spokesperson added that CBP, in coordination with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “is taking the necessary measures to protect public health and reduce the risk of Ebola disease introduction into the United States”.
On Monday, the CDC and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implemented temporary measures to prevent Ebola from entering the US amid ongoing outbreaks in east and central Africa. The measures include enhanced travel screening, entry restrictions, and additional public health protocols. Among the new rules are entry restrictions for non-US passport holders who have been in Uganda, DRC, or South Sudan in the previous 21 days. The order is in effect for 30 days.
Further entry restrictions are set to take effect on Thursday, requiring all US-bound flights carrying foreign travellers who have been in Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the last 21 days to land at Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia, where enhanced public health measures are in place.
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization’s director-general reported nearly 600 suspected Ebola cases and 139 suspected deaths, warning that numbers were expected to rise. He confirmed 51 cases in the DRC, noting the scale of the epidemic is much larger, and two cases in Uganda. An American citizen working in the DRC had also tested positive and was transferred to Germany.
