Mystery Brit businessman ‘infected at least 7 with coronavirus on ski holiday and flew home on packed easyJet flight’
A BRIT businessman infected at least seven people with coronavirus on a ski holiday then flew home on a packed flight.
The middle aged “super spreader” contracted the virus while at a conference in Singapore and then infected at least seven others.
The man – who was unaware he was infected – inadvertently spread the virus after staying four nights at a ski chalet in Contamines-Montjoie owned by Brit Bob Saynor who is now infected along with his nine year old son.
The family is understood to have been living in the village for just three months after moving from Hove.
A Brit dad was also quarantined in a Majorca hospital after testing positive and Spanish authorities appeared to confirm the case was again linked to the French ski chalet.
Mr Saynor’s wife Catriona had left France by the time the investigation began and is under observation in a UK hospital.
It is not clear if she was the fourth case diagnosed in Britain.
French officials have closed the 95-pupil primary school attended by the Saynors’ nine-year-old son and a 200-pupil school in nearby Saint-Gervais he attended for one day last week will also be shut.
Etienne Jacquet, the mayor of Les Contamines-Montjoie, said the chalet had now been disinfected.
It was confirmed tonight that he flew back to Britain on an easyJet flight from Geneva – an hour from the chalet – that landed at Gatwick on January 28.
It throws open the possibility he could have spread the virus to dozens of passengers during the 90 minute flight with the same air circulating on board.
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Hundreds of residents of the picturesque ski town are now undergoing tests.
Officials from Public Health England notified easyJet about his flight and all 183 passengers and six crew on the plane have been contacted and asked to monitor themselves.
Apart from British nationals the flight also carried French and Swiss and the health authorities there have also been advised to trace passengers.
In a statement easyJet said:”easyJet has been notified by the public health authority that a customer who had recently travelled on one of its flights has since been diagnosed with the Coronavirus.
“Public Health England is contacting all customers on the flight which was flight EZS8481 from Geneva to London Gatwick on 28 January, to provide guidance in line with procedures.
“As the customer was not experiencing any symptoms, the risk to others on board the flight is very low.
“We remain in contact with the public health authorities and are following their guidance. The health and wellbeing of our passengers and crew is the airline’s highest priority.
“All of the crew who operated have been advised to monitor themselves for a 14 day period since the flight in line with Public Health England advice.
“Note this happened 12 days ago and none are displaying any symptoms.”
Medical experts say the incubation period is up to 14 days with those coming from the centre of the virus in the Chinese city of Wuhan usually showing symptom after seven days.
Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said the latest confirmed case was being transferred to a specialist NHS centre at The Royal Free Hospital.
And the hunt is now on for any others who may have had contact with the confirmed cases.
He said: “Experts at Public Health England continue to work hard tracing patient contacts from the UK cases.
“They successfully identified this individual and ensured the appropriate support was provided.”
It is understood the fourth case was contracted from “super spreader” businessman who was confirmed with the bug in Brighton this week.
He came into contact with 11 people in the Alpine ski resort.
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Five Brits – including his nine-year-old son – are now among those to have contracted the bug at the French resort.
Meanwhile, two Chinese nationals in York tested positive for the virus more than a week ago.
Coronavirus has now claimed more lives than the 2003 SARS outbreak as the global death toll climbed to more than 800 with more than 37,000 confirmed cases.