Coronavirus: 201 U.S Citizens Flown From Wuhan To Southland

LOS ANGELES, CA — More than 201 U.S. citizens flew in from Wuhan, China — ground zero for the deadly new coronavirus — on a U.S. State Department-chartered aircraft Wednesday. At the last minute, health officials diverted the flight from landing at Ontario International Airport. Instead the Center for Disease Control had it land at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside Wednesday morning.

"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," Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Hewitt said.

The plane touched down at March ARB at 8:11 a.m. The passengers remained at the base and were cordoned off from military personnel. While they are not under mandatory quarantine orders, they are expected to remain under observation at the base for 72 hours.

"When I talked to them about their willingness to stay to be fully evaluated over three days or so, all of those that I talked to were very willing to do that. ... They want to protect their family, they want to protect others," said Christopher Braden, a deputy director at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The flight caused considerable apprehension for authorities and was shifted from a planned arrival athe the busy Ontario International Airport to the air force base.

"CDC just let us know the flight will be diverted to March Air (Reserve) Base," San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman said in a video posted to his Twitter account about 7:35 p.m. Tuesday.

Health officials will screen the passengers for signs of the illness — a cough, fever or shortness of breath, and passengers exhibiting signs will be further assessed by medical experts. Before arriving in Southern California, the flight refueled in Anchorage, Alaska were passengers underwent and initial screening.

Asked if any passengers will be allowed to leave the base before the three-day evaluation period is up, Rear Admiral Dr. Nancy Knight, director of the Division of Global Health Protection at the CDC, said, "Any discussion about departure will be just that, a discussion."

Braden said that after the three-day evaluation period, passengers will have the option to go home, but they will continue to be monitored for the remainder of the virus' two-week incubation period by their local public health agency.

"If we think that a person is a danger to the community, we can institute an individual quarantine for that person, and we will," said Braden.

Up to 201 U.S. citizens, including nine children, were reported to be on the flight. Dubbed the coronavirus flight, it consisted entirely of U.S. State Department employees, U.S. contractors who have been working in China along with other U.S. citizens, according to a statement from San Bernardino County.

"We are always prepared to receive our citizens abroad in times of emergencies," Hagman said.

"No occupants who present symptoms of illness will be allowed to proceed into the continental United States. Upon arrival in the continental U.S., (passengers) will again be screened by CDC personnel and monitored for up to two weeks."

Because the virus is new and spread rapidly in Wuhan, killing more than 100 people, governments around the world have take heavy precautions to prevent further outbreaks from spreading. Uncertainty and misinformation have lead to heightened anxiety, affecting the markets and communities. Both Los Angeles and Orange County confirmed their first cases of infection last week in travelers who had spent time in China.

False rumors about outbreaks quickly spread with USC taking the unusual step of announcing that the school has no known infections. While working to screen for infection patients and preparing for the likelihood that there will be more cases health officials across the southland. A major part of the effort has involved combating misinformation and hysteria.

"At this moment, (there is) absolutely nothing to be afraid of," Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told the the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday. "There is no need to panic and there is no need for people to cancel their activities" Ferrer said. "There's nothing that indicates that there's human-to-human transmission in L.A. County."

Riverside University Health System spokesman Jose Arballo Jr. told The Press-Enterprise that officials conducted a conference call Tuesday night to discuss preparations for the plane's arrival.

"We are working on the logistics and finalizing plans," Arballo said.

Hagman said San Bernardino County and Ontario International were both prepared for the flight's arrival, "but the State Department decided to move the flight to March Air (Reserve) Base for the logistics they have. That flight is not coming to Ontario, it is going to (Riverside) at this time."

Before the plane's arrival itinerary was changed to a March ARB, a CDC official had told CNN the passengers may be forced to stay in isolation between three days and two weeks.

At the time, Hagman said authorities were setting up beds, phone chargers and televisions in an isolated, dormant hangar at Ontario International Airport.

It was unclear whether the same procedure would be followed at the base.

The coronavirus outbreak was first detected in December in the industrial city of Wuhan in the Hubei province of central China. Since then, more than 5,975 cases have been reported in China, with at least 132 deaths, and the virus has been confirmed in patients in a handful of other nations including the U.S.

City News Service and Patch staffer contributed to this report.