MONTREAL – Passengers who hosted a party aboard a plane from Canada to Mexico in violation of all coronavirus precautions were stranded in Cancun on Thursday after three airlines refused to take them home.
Sunwing Airlines canceled Wednesday’s flight, while Air Transat and Air Canada also refused to take them to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.
To add insult to injury, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called them “idiots” on Wednesday.
Videos of the December 30 flight shared on social media show passengers without masks singing and dancing in the aisle and seats. In one video, revelers pass each other a large bottle of vodka and a woman appears to be smoking an e-cigarette.
Air Transat said on Twitter that passengers on the Sunwing flight were denied boarding due to the company’s obligation to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.
A JOURNEY THAT DIDN’T TURN AS THEY EXPECTED
One of the passengers, Rebecca St-Pierre, a 19-year-old student from Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, said she felt abandoned, not knowing how she will pay for her accommodation, as her stay will be extended indefinitely.
The young woman told The Canadian Press that she tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday and was isolated in Tulum, south of Cancun. He said he calculated that 30 other people on the flight tested positive.
The United States recently added two new weapons to its small arsenal against the coronavirus: pills that patients can take at home to treat COVID-19.
St-Pierre said he won the trip in a contest on Instagram and had never heard of the organizer, identified on social media as James William Awad.
“I was expecting a relaxed week, where I was going to be careful, but it turned out to be an expensive trip for something that was supposed to be free,” she said.
The woman accepted that the videos give an accurate picture of what happened during the five-hour flight to Cancun. He further said that before the return trip, some people put petroleum jelly on their noses to thwart COVID-19 tests.
Awad wrote on Twitter Wednesday that a “simple party” on a plane was behind the controversy. “I’ll take a moment to sit down and rethink everything,” he said. “Especially how can I do better next time,” he added.
However, the WHO insists that it is still premature to conclude that the Omicron variant is a new, lighter stage of the coronavirus.
Awad, who operates 111 Private Club, organized the trip with a group of social media “influencers” and reality TV stars, such as Karl Sabourin of the popular Quebec show “Occupation Double” and Sandrine Seguin and Anna-Maelle Laprise, who they appeared on the provincial version of “Love Island.”
CANADIAN AUTHORITIES SHOW THEIR ANGRY
Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino issued a joint statement on Tuesday saying they had ordered their departments to investigate.
The statement said passengers who violated Department of Transportation regulations could face fines of up to C $ 5,000 per violation ($ 3,930).
Trudeau called the passenger behavior irresponsible and a “slap in the face” to all who have been abiding by public health restrictions for the good of all. Speaking in French, he referred to the passengers as “idiots” and “barbarians.”
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