Air France plane diverted after US blocks Congo passenger – media
The US has denied entry to an Air France flight carrying a passenger from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) over tightened Ebola-related restrictions, forcing the aircraft to divert to Canada.
The plane was traveling from Paris to Detroit on Wednesday but was redirected to Montreal after US authorities said the Congolese passenger should not have been allowed to board.
“Due to entry restrictions put in place to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus, the passenger should not have boarded the plane,” a US Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told CBS News.
Air France confirmed that there was no medical emergency on board.
The incident came as Washington tightened Ebola-related travel measures on Monday. Under the updated rules, travelers arriving from the DR Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda, are only permitted to enter the US through Washington Dulles International Airport.
Bahrain and Jordan have also suspended the entry of foreign travelers arriving from the effected African nations. Burundi, Zambia, and Tanzania have strengthened border controls, while Rwanda temporarily closed its border with the DR Congo.
The latest Ebola outbreak linked to the Bundibugyo strain in the DR Congo has resulted in at least 139 suspected deaths and 543 suspected cases, according to the country’s Health Ministry. Scientists believe the virus is naturally carried by fruit bats and can spread to humans through contact with infected animals before being transmitted between people via bodily fluids.
There is currently no approved vaccine or targeted treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak a global public health emergency.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that reports of Ebola outbreaks in the DR Congo and Uganda were “a cause of concern” and expressed hope that local authorities, together with international organizations and partner countries, would quickly contain the spread of the disease, adding that Russia would provide “every possible assistance and support” in combating the outbreak.
On Monday, Russia’s public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said that Russian specialists will travel to Uganda to conduct an epidemiological investigation and provide logistical support to the country’s Health Ministry.
