Cypriot Minister of Health Reassures Larnaca Flight Passengers Over Possible Ebola Case

The flyer who was an Israeli male, had been previously checked out for the virus in the U.S., after spending time in Liberia. The man traveled from Liberia to the U.S. and was required to remain under observation until January 9th, that would have marked 21 days under a monitoring protocol that attempted to safely asses that he was not infected with the deadly disease. Instead, he boarded a flight to Vienna via Cyprus, before planning to fly to Israel.

The Cypriot Minister of Health discussed to CNA that as soon as the nation was aware of the man's activities after being briefed by Connecticut, its government enforced their Ebola action plan and safety efforts. The Israeli citizen did not disembark from the plane in Larnaka and agreed to fly back to Vienna, as he would have been quarantined in Cyprus otherwise.

Patsalis described that the traveler was assessed on the airplane by a medical team upon his arrival on Cyprus and did not have a fever.  He guaranteed worried travelers on board that they are not in any danger of contracting Ebola. The Health Minister stated, "The important thing is that there is no risk of possible transmission of Ebola virus for the passengers," according to CNA and Parikiaki.