A man on WestJet flight WS 2707 on route to Montego Bay from Toronto on Monday was forced to turn back after a passenger claimed he had the coronavirus.
According to Peel Regional Police the man stood up, said he’d been in China recently and had contacted the disease.
The captain was made aware and made the decision to return to Toronto.
coronavirus-plane-1.5450824″ target=”_self” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>CBC reported that WestJet said the crew followed all protocols for infectious disease on board, including sequestering the man.
The captain informed passengers that, because of the incident, they couldn’t land in Jamaica or the U.S. and had to return to Toronto.
A 29-year-old from nearby Thornhill, ON was arrested and charged with mischief, after the plane landed safely just shortly after 2:00pm.
He is scheduled to appear in court on March 9.
WestJet apologized to the 243 passengers. Two flights were cancelled due to the incident. WestJet said it would add an extra flight on Tuesday, both to and from Montego Bay, for those affected.
