what an idiot, seriously.
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No kidding. Stupid.
I used to read ebola news on twitter but if you search for it now all you get is people's jokes about it. Super pathetic.
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The guy is 54 years old. 54! How do you live to be 54 when you're this stupid?
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What a dumbass
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What a dumbass. They should quarantine his ass for 3 weeks just to teach him a lesson.
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I guess I need more information… Did he announce it to the whole plane? Was he making a stupid joke to someone he was traveling with and people overheard? Not that if it was the latter it was a smart thing to do, but kind of an overreaction if that's all it was. I'm sure no one would have batted an eye if he had said I have the flu! The mass hysteria over ebola in the US right now is a bit over the top in my opinion.
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@catomd00: I was about to write this. I'm not saying that it was a good call, but I could definitely see someone immaturely making a joke to a friend. It feels reminiscent of the "bomb jokes." Appropriate? Hell no. Did they happen? Yes. Potentially they were making an example out of this man (depending on the context) to curb any future jokesters?
ETA: Based on below comment, I revise my statement to say he's an idiot.
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@catomd00: In the CNN article it says...
CNN has not been able to confirm the comment the man allegedly made, but according to local media reports in the Dominican Republic citing the airport's director of operations, it was:
"I have Ebola. You're all screwed."
Yup, this guy is an idiot. Sad it happened in Philadelphia. What the hell was this guy thinking?!? You can't joke about this stuff.
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@catomd00: Also, saying you have the flu won't have the CDC brought in. Saying or joking you have Ebola will.
I do think there is some mass hysteria on Ebola, but I've said it before I'm not that worried that Ebola will turn into a huge outbreak like in Africa. Ebola is and can be a deadly disease so I can understand why even if this guy was joking, the airplane staff had to report it.
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I think kicking him off is a bit of an overreaction, but I also do not get why people make "jokes" like this on a plane.
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I always wonder in situations like this, if the person was mentally ill or just lacked judgement.
I think they did the correct thing by escorting him off the plane though.
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What an idiot
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Blue striped Bee beat me to it!
"I have Ebola. You're all screwed."
Just... No. Why would that ever be something funny to say? Haha. And if he was being a jerk and really had been exposed, there's no way to know. I think they were right to treat it as worst case scenario. If they hadn't, and he was infected, people would be flipping out too.
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@bluestriped bee: That's kind of my point...You're much more likely to catch the flu on a plane (or anywhere) than you are ebola.
I don't think the airline was wrong, but the hazmat suit escort seems to be a bit much, but I get you have to take precautions I guess. If he wasnt symptomatic and said he was joking, I think a normal escort would have been fine. If he really did stand up and shout that to the whole plane, he should be escorted off for being disruptive first and foremost.
Clearly he lacks good judgement.
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@catomd00: Yeah, you are right. You can catch the flu or a cold easier than catching Ebola, but that's because it's a common illness (flu & cold). Ebola is an international crisis and the CDC is trying to contain it.
I'm part of a hazmat and medical team at my work. We take all situations like this as if it was serious. Even smaller spills have to be treated like a big event. It's only for precaution. Also, think of it this way, we have no idea what the hazmat team was told prior to getting on the plane. I would definitely not like to chance it. Better safe than sorry, right?
Also, I don't know what the airplane's policy's are for any kind of disruption. It's probably just protocol to kick someone off the plane. Shoot! They kicked two passengers off for having a fight about the reclining seats! It's probably for the safety of the guy, though. If he was still on the plane after it caused a 2 hour delay of my flight, I would be pissed to see him still on my plane.
International policy on dealing with disruptive passengers. It's quite a document. http://www.iata.org/policy/Documents/2013-V1-PUBLIC-Guidance-on-Unruly-Passenger-Prevention-and-Management.pdf
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Horrible.
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What an idiot.
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I think this was an over-reaction. I heard the guy sneezed and then said "I have ebola, you are all screwed". I mean geez, I joke that I have "the plague" when I have a cold. No one's ever thought I was serious. But I guess this is just the world we live in.
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I don't think this is an overreaction at all. You don't joke about stuff like that on an airplane full of people. If they hadn't treated it the way that they did, they would have gotten far more people complaining that he really did have Ebola.
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@Grace: When was the last time the plague was a genuine concern, like of epidemic proportions? That's why no one bats an eye when you joke that you have the plague.
I think the airline did the right thing by escorting him off the plane. The guy is a douchecanoe.
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@sorrycharlie: on a plane? Heck no. To my husband, when I am coughing, as a joke? Sure. But you are so right, in a public health scare, it's probably not a great idea to be joking about this.
I think they did the right thing by escorting him off. In a way, it was also a test for the airlines, as well. I heard on the radio yesterday that the CDC is having actors go into NYC hospitals with vague symptoms that also show up in ebola patients to see how the hospitals respond. Catching these things early is important, so good for them for being proactive!
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@2PeasinaPod: yep, this! That's what I was getting at with my comment. The airplane had to escort him off. Can you imagine what would have happened had they not?
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He was stupid for even saying it, but I think the reaction came more from the fact he mentioned he had recently been to Africa.
I don't worry about myself or our LO, but my husband is a pilot that comes into contact with people every day that are catching flights from all over the world. And enclosed in a tiny metal tube where they all breathe the same air and touch the same surfaces. So yeah, the thought of this actually happening are far too real for me
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@Tanjowen: super scary stuff! In this instance, the airline crew really is on the front lines of this epidemic. Good for them for taking their responsibility seriously.
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@littlebug: There's between 1000-2000 cases of the plague reported to the WHO every year (and they expect the numbers are actually higher), including an average of 7 cases per year in the US (this is from the CDC).
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