A woman flying from Chicago, Illinois, to Reykjavik, Iceland, tested positive for COVID-19 mid-flight and was quarantined in the bathroom on the plane, according to CNN.
Marisa Fotieo told CNN she took two PCR tests and about five rapid tests before boarding, all of which had been negative. Fotieo is fully vaccinated and received the booster, yet an hour and a half into the Dec. 19 flight, she said she began to feel like she had a sore throat and decided to take another test.
“Immediately, it came back positive,” she said. Fotieo said she started to panic and told flight attendant Ragnhildur Eiríksdóttir, nicknamed Rocky.
“Of course, it’s a stress factor when something like this comes up, but that’s part of our job,” Eiríksdóttir told CNN.
“I was hysterical, I was crying. I was nervous for my family, who I just had dinner with. I was nervous for the other people on the plane. I was nervous for myself,” Fotieo added.
The flight attendant offered to rearrange seats so Fotieo could be by herself, but the flight was full. She said she decided to stay in the bathroom because she “did not want to be around others on the flight.”
Fotieo was quarantined in the bathroom for three hours but said she did not feel cramped because she wanted to limit her exposure to those in the main cabin, including her 70-year-old father, according to CNN.
@marisaefotieoShout out to @Icelandair for my VIP quarantine quarters.. ##luxuryliving ##imsolucky ##covid ##vaccinated ##fyp ##viralvideotiktok ##quarantine♬ I’m So Lucky Lucky – Grandzz
After arriving in Iceland, Fotieo was taken to a Red Cross hotel where she was quarantined for ten days. She said doctors checked in on her three times a day, and flight attendant Rocky sent Christmas gifts and snacks.
“Honestly, it has been an easy experience,” Fotieo said. “It’s partially due to Rocky and the breed of Icelandic people. Everyone here is so kind.” (RELATED: Major Airlines Cancels Hundreds Of Flights As COVID-19 Cases Surge)
Fotieo’s quarantine ended Dec. 30 and she plans on meeting up with the rest of her family and Eiríksdóttir before heading back to Chicago Jan. 3.
“Coming out of this experience I have a new friend and I have a new outlook on how much flight attendants have to do,” Fotieo said. “Rocky and the flight crew had me, but they also had the other passengers to deal with on the flight.”