Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Cirque du Soleil held out artists from Strip performances because of coronavirus concerns.
Virus fears sit Cirque artists after China trip
For the first time in its nearly 27year history on the Strip, Cirque du Soleil has sidelined artists because of a potential health risk.
A troupe of performers who had just returned from a trip to China were held out of the “Michael Jackson One” show for three performances.
“In the interest of safety, Cirque du Soleil executives made a decision to have seven Chinese artists from the Michael Jackson ONE show sit out of the show for three days (Thursday through Saturday) to ensure they were not showing symptoms of the coronavirus,” the company said in a statement.
A new respiratory virus caused by a coronavirus has killed dozens and sickened at least 1,000 in China.
The Chinese artists had just returned to Las Vegas after traveling to China, the statement read. They were not near the city of Wuhan, considered the disease’s epicenter.
The decision was “made in consultation with the Michael Jackson ONE medical team and the seven affected artists and was supported by the entire cast and crew of the show,” the statement said. All of the artists are scheduled to rejoin the cast Sunday.
Cirque officials Ann Paladie and former company executive Jerry Nadal said Saturday night they could not recall performers ever being held from a show because of a potential health risk.
‘Out of an abundance of caution’
Early Saturday, a crew on a flight from Las Vegas to Baltimore took a precautionary measure after a passenger showed flu-like symptoms.
The passenger was on a Southwest Airlines flight that left McCarran International Airport at 6:05 a.m. Saturday for Baltimore, according to a statement from the airline and the Las Vegas airport’s website.
Medical personnel met the flight when it arrived at the Baltimore/ Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport after reports of an ill customer, the airline said in an emailed statement.
“Out of an abundance of caution, and in light of the recent concerns of the coronavirus, our crew followed recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control,” the airline said.
According to a statement from the Maryland Health Department,
the passenger recently had traveled from Beijing.
The health department said the passenger did not meet criteria from the CDC for “2019 novel coronavirus testing,” but the person was referred to a medical facility for evaluation.
“Per guidance from the CDC, no special action was indicated for this person or for any other passengers or crew on the flight,” the department said.
McCarran spokeswoman Erika Hanuscin said Saturday afternoon that the airport had no information regarding the passenger.
She said the airport is not screening for the virus.
The CDC will determine if screening at the airport will be done in the future, Hanuscin said.
As of Friday, two coronavirus cases in the U.S. had been confirmed: one in Chicago reported Friday and another near Seattle earlier this week. Both cases involved people who recently traveled to Wuhan, a major transportation hub with a population of 11 million.
Federal health authorities have directed five of the country’s largest airports to screen arriving passengers for infection to stop the outbreak’s spread.
A McCarran spokesman said Wednesday that there are no direct flights to Las Vegas from Wuhan.
The airport has placed flyers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at security checkpoints to alert people of the potential risk of contracting the illness in China, airport spokesman Joe Rajchel has said.
Martha Framsted, a spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Health
and Human Services, said in an email earlier this week, “As with any respiratory viral illness, it is recommended to practice good health hygiene habits by covering your cough, perform frequent hand-washing, avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, and stay home while you are ill.”