Sick passenger removed from WestJet plane in Winnipeg after flight from Vancouver
Paramedics removed a sick passenger from a plane that landed in Winnipeg Thursday afternoon, forcing others on board to wait for about an hour before being allowed to leave the aircraft.
Winnipeg Airports Authority spokesperson Tyler MacAfee said WestJet Flight 448 landed in Winnipeg shortly after 2:15 p.m. CT and paramedics went to assist.
"A passenger on board had expressed that they had a medical issue," he said, although he declined to say more about the person's symptoms.
"With the current climate [because of coronavirus], there's some heightened awareness around these things, but medical things like this are not uncommon."
MacAfee said the rest of the passengers were allowed to leave the plane.
In an emailed statement, WestJet told CBC News the flight was not quarantined.
"Out of an abundance of caution, our crew notified the appropriate authorities that there was a potential medical issue on board WestJet Flight 448 from Vancouver to Winnipeg and followed all proper procedures."
Flight attendants in masks
According to a passenger on board the flight — whom CBC News is not naming for safety reasons — a woman got sick while in the air.
"People get sick. It happens," the passenger said about the situation in the air.
"When we landed, we were told we'd have to wait until paramedics came on board," they said. "By this time, all of the flight attendants were wearing masks and gloves."
The plane sat on the runway for about an hour before paramedics arrived, the passenger said, adding that there was no communication from the plane crew during that period as to what was going on.
"Just tell us what's going on," the passenger said.
"We're not idiots. We're not children."
The City of Winnipeg confirmed paramedics took the woman to hospital.
The passenger said the woman walked off the plane with help from a paramedic.
After the woman left, people had to wait another 30 minutes before being cleared by health authorities to get off the plane, the passenger said.
Though the passenger believes all the correct measures were taken, the length of time the whole process took was frustrating.
"They knew this woman was sick en route and they contacted Manitoba Health, which makes perfect sense," the passenger said.
"I think the question we're asking is: why did it take an hour before the paramedics even got on to the airplane?"
The passenger said they were not worried about the woman's illness being a case of COVID-19.
The plane was scheduled to continue on to Toronto as WestJet Flight 490 at 6 p.m., but was delayed for almost two hours.
A WestJet representative told passengers the flight was delayed due to a combination of bad weather in Toronto and a fuelling issue, but did not mention the illness.
When asked by a Toronto-bound passenger, the WestJet representative confirmed the sick woman had been on the plane but said the aircraft had been wiped down and sanitized.
The Winnipeg Airports Authority website indicated the flight finally left the city at 7:50 p.m.
CBC News has contacted the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority for comment. A spokesperson told CBC News the authority was aware of the situation but wouldn't provide further comment.
A provincial spokesperson said Manitoba Health is aware of the situation at the airport, but says public health officials cannot provide specific information related to it because it could breach privacy.
"We can confirm that all appropriate precautions and procedures are being followed," the spokesperson said.
