Call it a sign of the times: An airline passenger sneezes, makes a joke about Ebola and is quickly escorted from the plane by Hazmat-suited personnel.
That's what happened aboard a US Airways flight that had landed in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, shortly after arriving from Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Dominican Press reports that the passenger said: "I have Ebola. You're all screwed."
In a YouTube video filmed aboard the plane, a flight attendant announces: "I need your attention. It's going to look worse than it is. I really want you to remember, from the depth of my being, I've done this for 36 years; I think the man that has said this is an idiot.
"I know you all have your phones in here and video and all that stuff. That's up to you to the video, phone and all that stuff, but please stay out of their face. And, please, only take good shots of me. OK?," she says.
Then, two people dressed in blue hazmat suits board the plane as generally relaxed looking passengers look on and use their cell phones to film the incident. They work their way to the passenger in question and escort him from the plane. As he's disembarking, he can be heard saying: "I ain't from Africa (expletive)."
US Airways issued this statement: "Flight 845 from Philadelphia to Punta Cana was met yesterday by local officials upon landing due to a possible health issue on board. We are following the direction of, and strictly adhering to, all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines in place for airlines in response to the Ebola virus. The flight was checked by officials and cleared. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, but the safety of our customers and employees is our first priority."
It's worth noting (again) that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said: "The risk of spreading Ebola to passengers or crew on an aircraft is low because Ebola spreads by direct contact with infected body fluids."
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