It could have been a scene from a disaster movie, four people dressed complete hazard protection suits invade an aircraft and cart one of the passengers with a deadly contagious disease away. Only this was no Hollywood blockbuster, the was a real life event when an American passenger flying from Philadelphia to the Dominican Republic was forced to aircraft after sneezing and yelling: “I have Ebola!”. The remaining 255 other passengers were made to stay on board for two hours.
The unnamed passenger, whom it was confirmed later isnt infected with Ebola, was escorted off the plane by officials. The man had reportedly been sneezing and coughing, which are said to be early signs of having the deadly virus, throughout the four-hour journey to Punta Cana.
A video captured by one of the other passengers shows four officers dressed in protective Hazmat (hazardous materials) suits boarding the flight, while a flight attendant tries to reassure fliers that the situation “looks worse than it really is”. She adds that, having worked in the airline industry for about 30 years, she was sure “the man who has said this [joke] is an idiot”.
Passengers sat near the man covered their faces and those filming the incident yelled at him while he was forced to remove his luggage from the overhead lockers and leave the plane. He was detained at Punta Cana International Airport where he underwent extensive medical checks and was interviewed by airport officials before it was confirmed he did not have Ebola. He is believed to have the flu. US Airways refused to comment on the situation.