Ebola Scare Triggers Full Bio-Containment Suit Response On U.S. Airways Flight
(CBS SF) -- Fears over the deadly Ebola virus are leading to stricter precautions at Bay Area hospitals, at airports across the nation, and overseas, but this flight from Philadelphia to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic is one of the most frightening examples of precautions, as a full crew in bio-containment suits boarded the plane.
The video was published Thursday, October 9th and shot the day prior by Patrick Narvaez. In the clip, a flight attendant is heard very calmly taking control, describing what was going to happen, and explaining the cautions they were taking.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the reason for the response, or the resolution. The photographer writes that it later turned out to be a false alarm, stating, "Once we landed in Punta Cana we were told by the flight attendants that there was a situation and that a passenger may have been in Africa and had Ebola. She was certain it was a hoax but they did not take any chances and had a full hazmat crew board the plane and take the passenger off. It was later confirmed that the passenger was never in Africa and after 2-hrs we were finally able to get off the plane."
Five airports in the U.S. are screening passengers for Ebola symptoms: Newark, JFK< O'Hare, Dulles, and Atlanta Hartsfield. There is no word of increased precautions yet at any of the Bay Area's three major airports.
FULL EBOLA COVERAGE: