The Florida Department of Health confirmed that a passenger traveling through the Palm Beach International Airport has tested positive for COVID-19 and told Newsweek that those that came into contact with the patient will be asked to self-monitor. The patient is said to be in isolation at this time.
A video shared online by Cristian Benavides, a reporter for PIX11 News, appears to show a health official telling fellow passengers there is no need to self-quarantine—instead, they were “free to walk around.”
The official can be heard telling passengers they would receive a call from the epidemiology department, who would ask them to self-monitor and notify the department if they began to feel sick at any time over the next two weeks. When the 14 days are up, they will be dismissed.
“At this point you are free to walk around and move around,” the passengers are told because “there was no activity.” The health officials tells passengers to get the virus “someone has to cough or sneeze on you.”
None of the passengers are told to self-isolate, including a man who says he was sitting two seats from the patient and next to the patient’s wife.
“I am not telling you to stay home,” she is heard saying.
According to The Palm Beach Post, the flight in question was the JetBlue Flight 253 from JFK International Airport in New York to Palm Beach International Airport in Florida, which touched down on Wednesday night at 8:37 p.m was found to be positive with the COVID-19.
An airport spokesperson told the paper passengers were then required to stay on the plane for at least two hours, followed by an interview with Alina Alonso, the county’s health director. The concourse was closed and sterilized after landing.
When asked about the incident the Joint Information Center on COVID-19 for the State of Florida, sent a statement to Newsweek, saying:
The Florida Department of Health was made aware that a passenger traveling through the Palm Beach International Airport tested positive for COVID-19. Upon being notified, the Department immediately began working with the CDC to conduct an extensive epidemiological investigation to determine which passengers may have had close contact with the individual.
Any individual who is a close contact with this individual will be informed to self-monitor and will be contacted further by the Palm Beach County Health Department. The individual who tested positive is isolated at this time.
Newsweek has contacted Palm Beach International Airport and Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue for comment.
