Personnel from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Port Authority police met an Emirates jet at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.
They were responding to multiple people aboard Flight EK203 out of Dubai who had taken ill, as The Sun and other outlets reported.
The plane reportedly was quarantined.
That quarantine was confirmed by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office by his press secretary, Eric Phillips, who noted the information was based on a preliminary briefing.
Mayor has received a very preliminary briefing. The plane’s been quarantined and the CDC is on the scene. Updates here as we have them. https://t.co/ge4IBuuxji
— Eric Phillips (@EricFPhillips) September 5, 2018
Seven passengers were taken to Jamaica Hospital in Queens, according to CBS New York.
Original reports had indicated early in this breaking news story that 100 passengers among the 500 aboard were sick with fevers and coughs.
A statement from the airline contradicted those reports, however — putting the number at about 10.
At about 10:30 a.m. EST, Emirates issued a statement on the flight via its Twitter account.
In the statement, the airline said it could confirm that “about 10 passengers” on the flight were taken ill.
They added that “local health authorities” were tending to the passengers.
Statement: Emirates can confirm that about 10 passengers on #EK203 from Dubai to New York were taken ill. On arrival, as a precaution, they were attended to by local health authorities. All others will disembark shortly. The safety & care of our customers is our first priority.
— Emirates Airline (@emirates) September 5, 2018
One individual who indicates he was a passenger on the plane provided documentation of the experience on Twitter as it was occurring.
The individual documented his experience in both text and photos.
A dozen protesters police cars meeting my retienen flight to JFK. What’s up @emirates ? pic.twitter.com/qjpbQbfF4K
— Larry Coben (@LarryCoben) September 5, 2018
According to this same individual, passengers were asked to complete a CDC “passenger Locator Information Form” and had their temperatures taken.
Deplaning and having temperature taken pic.twitter.com/MVxWqJPLTe
— Larry Coben (@LarryCoben) September 5, 2018
He also added that “passport and customs folks wore masks in empty hall when we came through, CDC people did not.”
Meanwhile, 141 passengers were evacuated from a plane at an airport in Perpignan, France, when fears arose that an 8-year-old on board might be infected with Cholera, Reuters reported.
The passengers were evacuated from the Boeing 737 over fears of an outbreak of the deadly and highly contagious intestinal illness, as the Daily Star reported.
The plane originated in Algeria, where a Cholera outbreak killed two people last month.
Check out this video on the JFK plane story:
This story has been updated.
Michele Blood is a Flemington, New Jersey-based freelance writer and a regular contributor to LifeZette.
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