Emirates Flight Quarantined at NYC Airport

Image: PHOTO: Emirates Airbus A380 approaching London Heathrow Airport. (photo via Boarding1Now/iStock Editorial/Getty Images Plus)
Image: PHOTO: Emirates Airbus A380 approaching London Heathrow Airport. (photo via Boarding1Now/iStock Editorial/Getty Images Plus)
Donald Wood
by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:30 AM ET, Thu September 6, 2018

Update: September 5, 2018 at 3:15 p.m. ET

Rapper Vanilla Ice revealed that he was one of the passengers on Emirates Flight 203, which was quarantined at New York City's JFK airport Wednesday.

Vanilla Ice shared video from inside the plane and the rumor that over 100 people were sick:

Mayor Bill de Blasio's spokesman Eric Phillips said on Twitter that 19 passengers were confirmed sick, with 10 being transported to local hospitals and nine refusing medical treatment.


Original Text

An Emirates plane was quarantined Wednesday after it landed in New York with around 10 passengers who reportedly fell ill during the flight from Dubai.

According to the BBC.com, Emirates Flight 203 landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport at around 9:20 a.m. ET after a flight from Dubai International Airport. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was called to the scene to deal with the ill passengers.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio spokesman Eric Phillips said ambulances were sent to the airport to transport the sick passengers, which reportedly had fevers over 100 degrees and were coughing.

"Emirates can confirm that about 10 passengers on #EK203 from Dubai to New York were taken ill," the airline said in a statement. "On arrival, as a precaution, they were attended to by local health authorities. All others will disembark shortly. The safety & care of our customers is our first priority."

Phillips also said there is a possibility the flu came from Mecca after the plane stopped there en route to the United States.


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Donald Wood

Donald Wood

Managing Editor

Donald Wood is TravelPulse’s Managing Editor, bringing nearly 15 years of experience to the desk. He currently lives outside Philadelphia with his wife and two children.

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