A SWISS Air flight attendant has been taken to hospital and quarantined after falling ill on a flight from New York to Zurich with symptoms of Coronavirus. According to the airline, an emergency ‘pandemic plan’ was initiated after the crew member became sick during yesterday evening’s flight between New York JFK and Zurich.
The SWISS Air operated Airbus A330 aircraft operating flight LX15 landed in Zurich at around 10am this morning where it was met by authorities including officials from Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FAPH).
The flight attendant was “isolated and transferred to a hospital for medical examinations” according to an airline spokesperson. The SWISS Air representative also confirmed that passengers sitting in the immediate vicinity of the crew member would also be medically examined but all others had been allowed to enter Switzerland as normal.
The crew member was deadheading (not working) on the flight and had been sat around row 25. Another passenger onboard the aircraft told local media that five rows forward and aft of the crew member were barred from disembarking and were held on the plane for around two hours while officials carried out checks.
“We were well looked after,” the passenger told 20 Minutes. “… there was even a drinks service. But it was just boring,” he continued.
SWISS confirmed that there were 121 passengers and 13 crew members onboard flight LX15.
No further details have been given about the sick crew member who is believed to be a male. It’s not known whether he had recently been in China or had worked a flight to the country. If confirmed to be Coronavirus, it would be the first case detected in Switzerland.
No special measures are currently recommended for inbound travel to Switzerland, according to the FAPH. The agency says there is a ‘high risk’ of the virus being imported by travellers.
SWISS has cancelled its daily service between Zurich and Beijing until at least the 9th February following the deadly Coronavirus outbreak in China. The Lufthansa Group airline was one of the first in Europe to axe its mainland China flights, citing the safety of passengers and employees as one of the overriding decisions for its flight suspension.
UPDATE: SWISS has now confirmed that the Coronavirus was not detected in the crew member and it is likely he was suffering from the common flu.
