More Coronavirus Screenings At March ARB? RivCo Readies

MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CA — Three large tents were erected on the tarmac of March Air Reserve Base — where 195 coronavirus evacuees remained under federal quarantine orders — as a precaution in case additional planes carrying passengers who need medical screening are unexpectedly rerouted to the base, officials said over the weekend.

Read more about the 195 passengers housed at March ARB.

The tents were set up to meet a request from federal officials to provide enough housing at the facility for at least 250 more people in individual rooms in case a plane carrying passengers who need to be medically screened is temporarily diverted to March ARB, such as in the case of bad weather or for refueling, according to Brooke Federico, a public information officer for Riverside County's County Executive Office.

"Because of the time involved in constructing the tents, officials decided to have them in place in case any planes were unexpectedly diverted to March (ARB)," Federico said.

As officials prepare for the possibility of more arrivals, two local Congress members formally asked the U.S. Air Force secretary for more information about the decision to reroute the plane carrying the 195 passengers from Wuhan, China, where the deadly coronavirus was first detected, to March Air Reserve Base.

The plane, originally set to arrive at Ontario International Airport, was rerouted to March AFB and landed at 8:11 a.m. Wednesday.

A letter from Rep. Mark Takano, D-Riverside, and Rep. Norma Torres, D-Pomona, said Congress was kept in the dark about the last-minute decision to redirect the plane and has yet to receive any contact or update from the U.S. Department of Defense on the flight or any future plans to repatriate additional individuals at March ARB.

"We are deeply troubled by this lack of transparency. Any unilateral decisions in this regard has had and will continue to have lasting impacts on the employees and citizens at March as well as members of the surrounding community," they said.

On Friday, Takano, said in a statement that his "office was not consulted on the decision to utilize March Air Reserve Base as a repatriation center for this flight."

Torres previously called the decision "ill-conceived" and called for an investigation by the inspector generals for the U.S. Health and Human Services and the State departments. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, and Takano echoed the call for an investigation.

Some local officials also said they were not kept in the loop about the decision.

The passengers arrived on a U.S. State Department-chartered airplane and were initially said to be staying at March AFB under a three-day voluntary isolation while they were evaluated to ensure none developed any symptoms. Public health officials said the passengers would be able to return home following the 72 hours.

But on Thursday, Riverside County's public health officer ordered one of the passengers to be quarantined for the virus' two-week incubation period "or until otherwise cleared" after that person tried to leave the base.

Then on Friday, CDC officials issued a mandatory quarantine order as a precaution for the entire group, which is mostly made up of diplomats and their families. In issuing the order, federal health officials pointed to a case reported in Germany in which a person might have spread the virus to another person before developing symptoms.

They also mentioned a report published Thursday night in the New England Journal of Medicine showing that infected people can transmit the virus before they develop symptoms.

"While we recognize this is an unprecedented action, we are facing an unprecedented public health threat and this is one of the tools in our toolbox to mitigate the potential impact of this novel virus on the United States," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a media briefing.

County health officials issued a statement saying they "fully support the quarantine order implemented today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Federal officials have now designated four other bases around the country as quarantine sites, according to Takano, and he said his office is now in regular contact with officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and other agencies to stay abreast of developments.

Temporary quarantine and processing sites have also been established at major airports.

The plane from China first landed in Anchorage, Alaska, for a refueling stop and preliminary screening of passengers was conducted by CDC personnel about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday before heading to Southern California. Passengers were also monitored throughout the flight and none of them were deemed high risk, Rear Admiral Dr. Nancy Knight, director of the Division of Global Health Protection at the CDC, said.

The original flight manifest stated that there were 240 passengers aboard the flight, but officials said some people did not show up or did not have the proper documentation to board. One person had a fever and had to stay behind in China.

Among the passengers were nine children, the youngest of which is 1 month old.

CDC said that although little is known about the coronavirus, the risk of infection for people in the United States is low. No cases of coronavirus have been reported in Riverside County.

"While we realize that many people are nervous right now, understand that we are committed to your safety and are taking all precautions to ensure both the passengers and our residents are safe," County Supervisor Jeff Hewitt said.

The federal quarantine order — the first in 50 years — comes amid the federal government declaring a public health emergency and the Trump administration temporarily barring foreign nationals believed to be at risk of transmitting the virus from entering the United States.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department issued its most serious travel advisory, warning Americans not to travel to China.

Delta, American and United airlines also announced they will temporarily halt all of their flights to mainland China due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Civil Air Patrol squadron located at March Air Reserve Base called off its meeting Monday evening as a precaution while health officials continue to monitor those in quarantine.

"It is in the best interest of our members to cancel the meeting," said Maj. Raymond Gould, Civil Air Patrol Squadron 45 commander, in an email obtained by City News Service. "There is no credible threat to the health of our members, or the surrounding communities of March Air Reserve Base. We are merely being over cautious."

The squadron generally meets in a building on the south end of the base. The current quarantine site is to the west. Business on the base is carrying on as usual, according to officials.

"All (quarantined personnel) have been screened three times, and no one is presenting any symptoms of the Wuhan coronavirus," Gould said. "The federal government is merely exercising an abundance of caution."

CAP Squadron 45 is a so-called "composite squadron," numbering both cadets ages 12-19 and adults of all ages. The unit serves a variety of functions within the California Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, which is also known as the Air Force Auxiliary.

Gould said he consulted Wing staff and March ARB officials before making the decision to cancel the meeting.

According to published reports, the novel coronavirus epidemic has claimed at least 360 lives in China, exceeding the death toll of the severe acute respiratory syndrome — SARS — outbreak of 2003. More than 17,000 infections have been documented. The respiratory illness is treatable, and many patients are recovering, according to reports.

The virus was first identified by the Chinese government on Dec. 31, when authorities indicated an unknown pneumonia variant was impacting residents of Hubei Province.

Since then, the 2019-nCoV has been confirmed in a dozen countries, according to the World Health Organization. As of Monday morning, 11 cases of the illness have been confirmed in the United States.

The World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international public health emergency.
The Riverside County Emergency Management Department set up a dedicated phone line to answer residents' questions about coronavirus at 951- 358-5134.