An Air France flight traveling from Paris to Detroit was redirected to Montreal on Wednesday after U.S. authorities determined that one of the passengers on board should not have been allowed to board the plane in the first place, due to Ebola travel restrictions currently in place in the United States.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed the incident Thursday, saying the passenger was from the Democratic Republic of Congo and had boarded the flight “in error.”
Air France confirmed the diversion took place “at the request of U.S. authorities” and was clear that “there was no medical emergency on board” at any point during the flight.
Why Was the Passenger Not Supposed to Board?
The United States has put travel restrictions in place specifically to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus entering the country. Under those rules, travelers who have recently been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan are not permitted to fly into just any American airport.
“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.
The spokesperson did not clarify exactly when the Congolese passenger had last been in their home country.
Where Are Travelers From These Countries Required to Land?
The U.S. State Department issued a health alert Thursday laying out the current requirements clearly. Anyone who has been in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the past three weeks must enter the United States exclusively through Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, where enhanced public health screening is carried out.
The requirement applies to everyone, including American citizens and lawful permanent residents who have traveled through those countries.
Because the Air France flight was headed to Detroit rather than Dulles, U.S. authorities stepped in and blocked it from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport altogether. The plane was instead diverted north to Montreal.
“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 agency said in its statement.
What Kind of Ebola Is This?
The strain at the center of the current outbreak is known as the Bundibugyo virus. This particular strain presents a specific challenge because it is resistant to the vaccines and antibody treatments that were developed to fight the most common form of Ebola. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is currently no targeted treatment available. Doctors can only provide supportive care to those infected.
The death rate for this strain sits somewhere between 25 and 50 percent, making it an extremely serious illness.
How Bad Is the Current Outbreak?
The World Health Organization painted a sobering picture on Wednesday. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there are currently nearly 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths connected to the outbreak in Congo and Uganda.
“We expect those numbers to keep increasing,” he said.
Despite the scale of the outbreak at a regional level, the WHO chief described the risk of global spread as low at this stage, though he acknowledged the national and regional risk is high.
What This Means Going Forward
Wednesday’s diversion is a sign of how seriously U.S. authorities are treating the threat of Ebola reaching American soil. The decision to redirect an entire transatlantic flight rather than allow a potentially exposed passenger to land at a major American airport illustrates the level of caution now being applied at the border.
For travelers with recent travel history in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan, the message from Washington is clear: Dulles is the only way in, and those rules will be enforced.