A Canadian Westjet plane traveling to Jamaica had to turn around halfway after the bad joke of a passenger who claimed to have contracted the new coronavirus, AFP learned Tuesday from the company. The plane, which was halfway to its original destination, Montego Bay in Jamaica, had to turn back to Toronto due to a " turbulent passenger ," Westjet spokesman Morgan Bell told AFP. .
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Two hours after the plane took off, carrying 243 passengers, one of them got up to announce that he had recently stayed in China and contracted the new coronavirus, CBC reported. . The crew members gave him a mask and gloves, and put him away in the back of the plane. " As a precaution, our crew followed all protocols for infectious diseases on board, including the isolation of an individual who made an unfounded claim about the coronavirus, " added the Westjet spokesperson.
" I imagine the guy thought it was a funny joke, but it was really weird. We were all really frustrated, moving 240 people ... It's just so selfish, "said passenger, Julie-Anne Broderick, interviewed by CBC. " We lost a day of vacation, " lamented the passenger, who was traveling with her family. The 29-year-old man was arrested when getting off the plane, confirmed Peel, Ontario regional police. He will appear in court on March 9, according to Radio Canada.
Since its appearance in December in the city of Wuhan, in central China, the new coronavirus has infected more than 20,000 people and has spread to more than twenty countries. It killed 425 people on the mainland of Chinese territory, according to the latest report announced by the authorities.
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