Regarding the American Airlines flight that diverted to Bermuda early this morning, the Ministry of Health can advise the following.

In this instance, the decision for arranging accommodations is not one to be made by the Ministry of Health. The airline must organize hotel rooms for its passengers in such situations. At no time did American Airlines communicate a desire to have its passengers landed to transfer them to a hotel, even if only for the day.

The Port Health team at the Ministry of Health stood ready to administer supervised antigen tests for all passengers – as we have done for passengers on previous diverted flights. However, the airline did not make that decision. The Ministry of Health’s compliance team also stood by in case a decision was made to allow the passengers to leave the building and stretch their legs in a designated area. Again, no decision was made. We note American’s crew were provided accommodation at a local hotel by the airline.

Bermuda’s COVID-19 regulations did not in any way prevent American Airlines from taking steps to better accommodate its passengers today.