A passenger who flew to Lanzarote with Covid-19 last May has been fined €1,500, for having committed a “very serious” infraction in the face of coronavirus control measures.
The passenger was a resident of the island, but the disciplinary proceedings began in the Spanish city of Ciudad Real, where he had traveled to be with his mother, who died of cancer, but had also contracted coronavirus. Once there, having been in contact with a positive case of the virus, a PCR test was performed. However, without waiting for the result or remaining in isolation, as required in these cases, he travelled first to Madrid and then, after catching a flight at Barajas airport, and flew to Lanzarote.
Sources at the time confirmed that the man had travelled to be with his mother during her last days of life, as the family had been notified that the woman, who was suffering from cancer, was already in a terminal phase. Once the man had arrived at the health centre, where his mother was a patient, he was informed that she had also tested positive for COVID-19, so he was allowed no direct contact with her. But he did have contact with other family members. His mother passed away on May 23.
Thirteen other travellers were also ordered into isolation upon arrival on Lanzarote having occupied the two rows ahead of his, or those seats closest to him, along with another passenger with whom he had been talking for about fifteen minutes at the airport.
The man had been clearly informed that he needed to remain in isolation until the test results came back, however he ignored this requirement and travelled anyway. While in mid-flight he was informed by a family member that he had indeed tested positive, the passenger himself then told the crew, who told the pilot of the plane, invoking in-flight protocols with instructions for him to be seated and isolated in the rear seats of the aircraft for the rest of the flight.
