FLL Finalizes Ebola Protocol Amid Infected Nurse Developments
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport finalized its protocol amid developments that a nurse who was later found to have Ebola was on a jetliner that later made a trip to Fort Lauderdale.
The airport's quick reference guide finalized Wednesday says if a jetliner with a suspected Ebola case was en route to Fort Lauderdale, "all efforts should be made by air crews to provide as much advance notice as possible."
The plane would park at the gate but the aircraft doors would remain closed until emergency medical services arrive.
Click here to watch Brian Andrews' report.
A fire rescue team would enter the plane, assess the passenger with the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the phone then take them to the hospital.
Those passengers seated within six feet of the sick passenger would be asked to fill out a form so they can be contacted up to three weeks after the incident which is the virus' incubation period.
Meantime, Governor Rick Scott wants the CDC and Florida hospitals to have a conference call in the next 48 hours to get everyone on the same page.
He's also looking to have $ 7 million in federal grants diverted to find the purchase of protective gear for first responders and to pay for training.
"There is no reason to panic. This is all about getting educated, looking at the CDC's website, knowing for certain how this thing is transmitted," said Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue Division Chief Tammy Nugent.
One South Florida labor union representing hospital workers in Miami-Dade is already addressing Ebola with major hospitals.
"Were working with management to make sure that everything that needs to happen does happen,"said Recbecca Whitfield of local 1991 in an email.
The Florida Department of Health said a person in Miami-Dade County was tested for Ebola on Wednesday at a hospital but the testing was negative and there are no Ebola cases in Florida.
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