U.S. Customs and Border Protection says an Air France flight bound for Detroit was diverted to Montreal after a passenger from the Democratic Republic of Congo boarded despite a U.S. ban.
The flight was en route from Paris to Detroit when it landed at Montreal’s Trudeau International Airport. The U.S. ban, effective for 30 days, restricts entry from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan to contain the Ebola outbreak ahead of the World Cup.
A U.S. border agency spokesperson said the passenger “should not have boarded” the plane. Air France stated that travellers from certain countries, including the Congo, can now only enter the U.S. via Washington.
Canadian health officials are on alert. One person in Ontario has been tested for Ebola out of caution due to travel history. The World Health Organization reports nearly 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths, with concerns the scale is much larger.