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Plane Forced to Turn Around After Man Falsely Claims to Have Coronavirus, Arrested
india.com ^ | February 5, 2020 | Ritu Singh

Posted on 02/05/2020 1:22:22 AM PST by Berlin_Freeper

A WestJet flight from Toronto to Jamaica was forced to turn around on Monday after a passenger claimed he had coronavirus mid-flight. The airline said in a statement that 243 passengers aboard Flight 2702 were on their way to Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay when the flight was disrupted by an “unruly guest.”

As per reports, during the flight, a man stood up, told passengers he was recently in China and declared he had contracted the coronavirus while taking selfies. Flight attendants initially gave him a mask and gloves and ordered him to the back of the plane.

Meanwhile, following protocol, the pilot had no choice but to take the precaution of turning the aircraft around and heading back to Toronto. Upon landing, a medical team checked the man and determined he did not have the virus following which he was arrested by the police.

When interrogation, the 28-year-old man who was identified as James Potok, said his actions inside the plane were intended to be a prank and he hoped that the video of it would go viral on social media.

Potok was later charged with mischief and breach of recognizance and will be produced in court on March 9.

“Very, very sorry for my ignorance and not understanding that its an epidemic,” Potok told City News.

The death toll from the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak has crossed 490 in China.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Travel
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 02/05/2020 1:22:22 AM PST by Berlin_Freeper
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To: Berlin_Freeper
Airplane
2 posted on 02/05/2020 1:23:59 AM PST by Berlin_Freeper
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To: Berlin_Freeper
Let's, "as a prank", send him to Wuhan for, say, 200 years.

Big giggles...

3 posted on 02/05/2020 1:26:15 AM PST by jonascord (First rule of the Dunning-Kruger Club is that you do not know you are in the Dunning-Kruger club.)
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To: jonascord

And sued into oblivion.


4 posted on 02/05/2020 1:27:28 AM PST by Berlin_Freeper
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To: Berlin_Freeper

Perhaps he is related to Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center.


5 posted on 02/05/2020 1:52:00 AM PST by robowombat (Orthodox)
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To: Berlin_Freeper
Airplane

Surely, you can't be serious.

6 posted on 02/05/2020 2:09:45 AM PST by Veggie Todd (Voltaire: "Religion began when the first scoundrel met the first fool".)
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To: robowombat

What an interesting thought.


7 posted on 02/05/2020 2:32:06 AM PST by Norski
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To: Berlin_Freeper

“he had contracted the coronavirus while taking selfies.”

Eh?


8 posted on 02/05/2020 3:13:15 AM PST by yldstrk (Bingo! We have a winner!)
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To: Berlin_Freeper

He’s actually making a point that this virus needs to be taken a bit more seriously than where we are now. We still have planes leaving China and landing in the US and Canada.


9 posted on 02/05/2020 3:39:23 AM PST by BobL (I eat at McDonald's and shop at Walmart - I just don't tell anyone.)
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To: Veggie Todd

I’m always serious. And don’t call me Shirley.


10 posted on 02/05/2020 3:55:08 AM PST by EvilCapitalist (If it takes a bloodbath, let's get it over with. No more appeasement. -Ronald Reagan)
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To: Veggie Todd

don’t call me Shirley.


11 posted on 02/05/2020 4:35:17 AM PST by Blue Highway
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To: Berlin_Freeper

.


12 posted on 02/05/2020 6:22:57 AM PST by sauropod (If women are upset at TrumpÂ’s naughty words, who bought 80 million copies of 50 Shades of Grey?)
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