An Air France flight from Paris to Detroit was diverted to Montreal after a passenger from the Democratic Republic of Congo boarded in error under travel restrictions to canada tied to Ebola controls. Canadian health officials later said the passenger did not have symptoms and was flown back to France after a Quarantine Officer assessed the traveller.
Montreal diversion
Air France said the flight landed at Montreal Airport after a Congolese passenger on board was denied entry into the United States. The diversion pushed the journey about 500 miles, or 800 km, off course.
The US border agency CBP said Air France boarded a passenger from the Democratic Republic of Congo in error on a flight to the United States. The passenger should not have boarded because the US was restricting entry for people without US passports who had been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan or Uganda in the last three weeks.
Canada’s screening response
A Public Health Agency of Canada Quarantine Officer assessed the traveller and determined the passenger was asymptomatic. Canadian health officials then arranged for the passenger to be flown back to France.
The route change also shows how the US entry rules affected travelers beyond the border itself. US passport holders and permanent residents who had been in those countries could enter only through Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia for enhanced screening.
US Ebola controls
The restrictions came as the current Ebola outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization. The CDC said the risk to the US was relatively low, but it would introduce measures to prevent the disease from entering the country.
During the outbreak in central Africa, almost 140 people were believed to have died and more than 600 suspected cases were identified. The CDC also said Ebola spreads only after symptoms start, and symptoms can appear two to 21 days after exposure.
One American has tested positive for Ebola and is being treated in a special isolation ward at a hospital in Germany.
