SAINT JOHN – The lockdown at a Saint John hotel, which was prompted by a guest who had fallen ill, has been lifted.
Emergency crews were called to the Hilton Saint John Sunday morning for a report of a woman suffering from an unknown illness.
The hotel’s General Manager Allison Fraser said an unconscious female guest was found in her room by staff around 11:15 a.m.
The guest was taken to hospital by ambulance.
Dr. Scott Giffin, the N.B. Medical Officer of Health, later confirmed the woman had traveled from Cameroon and officials were concerned it was a possible case of Ebola. There is currently a deadly outbreak of the disease in Western Africa and more than 1,800 people have died.
Police, ambulance and fire crews remained on scene all afternoon — preventing guests from entering or leaving the building.
“What we were presented with was something that was different, a situation that was different, that raised some concerns,” said Saint John Fire Chief Kevin Clifford.
“We found it was in the best interest of the folks in the hotel and the folks that might come in the hotel to lock down until we had a chance to reach out to Public Health Canada.”
At 5 p.m., officials lifted the lockdown and said the situation was no longer a safety concern.
Officials would not provide an update on the woman’s condition, citing privacy reasons.
With files from Alex Abdelwahab
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