A man who denied COVID-19 symptoms boarded a United Airlines flight to Orlando from Los Angeles on Monday. Shortly after the flight, he suffered a medical emergency and died on board, and his wife was heard telling medical staff that she had COVID symptoms.
The incident happened on flight 591 and is essentially the worst nightmare of all in this pandemic, if they dared to board a plane. According to the Associated Press, the plane was diverted to New Orleans for an emergency, and now the airline and CDC are informing everyone about their potential exposure – even though the man’s COVID status has not been confirmed.
A passenger on the flight said he heard from a nurse on board who cared for the man that she was probably related to COVID and the same passenger said the family the man was traveling with had Disney luggage arranged – suggesting they had just come from Disney World . Another passenger said the man’s wife heard him tell someone that the man had COVID symptoms, including loss of taste and smell.
* I assumed (and it’s just an assumption) that he was returning from Disneyworld. His family took off their Disney bags as they left the flight
– Shay (@shaylabobmonsta) December 15, 2020
There was no word of mouth. I was right next to him trying to resuscitate him. Unfortunately, I saw everything. We all thought of a heart attack at first, but the wife quickly shared that she was having difficulty breathing and lacking taste and smell.
– Robert Reeves (@reevesreel) December 16, 2020
According to the New York Times, the four flight attendants were all quarantined for 14 days. However, United did not confirm whether the man was COVID-positive and says that when he diverted the flight, all the pilot and crew knew that the man was suffering a cardiac arrest.
United says the decision to allow the flight to continue from New Orleans to Los Angeles was made before it was understood the man may have had COVID symptoms. The man allegedly filled out a “Ready to Fly” checklist form saying he had no symptoms and did not test positive for the virus, but the man’s family says he was unwell before the day of the trip, according to the Times. The man also reportedly had underlying conditions, including high blood pressure and respiratory problems.
“The decision to continue to Los Angeles was made after medical professionals initially decided the emergency as heart disease,” United said in a statement. “An change of aircraft was not justified. Instead, passengers were given the option to take off and take a later flight or continue to Los Angeles. All passengers chose to continue.”
The incident comes just as airlines are expected to be busier than they have been for most of this year, as people ignore health warnings and / or decide to take the risk by traveling to celebrate their holidays with loved ones. Very few cases have appeared in the media of people who knowingly contract COVID-19 on flights, and experts have so far suggested that the flight with masks is relatively safe.
United also said in a statement: “We ask passengers not to travel if they have been diagnosed with Covid-19 or have symptoms related to Covid. If in doubt, the best option is to take the test. “
Photo by Mario Tama / Getty Images