The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday issued a 14-day quarantine for the 195 American evacuees who arrived in California this week from Wuhan, the epicenter of the Chinese coronavirus outbreak.
It is the first time in 50 years that the CDC has issued a quarantine. The order follows the World Health Organization’s declaration of a global health emergency on Thursday and a surge in reported cases and deaths.
“While we recognize this is an unprecedented action, we are facing an unprecedented threat,” said Dr. Nancy Messonnier of the CDC. “This is a very serious public health situation.”
All of the passengers will be housed at the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California.
The coronavirus has sickened more than 9,700 people worldwide and killed at least 213 in China. Six confirmed cases have been reported in the U.S., including the first human spread of the virus in Chicago.
The 195 repatriated Americans arrived in the U.S. Wednesday and were screened and evaluated during the trip from China, according to the CDC.
One of the Americans evacuated from China to the U.S. air base reportedly tried to flee the facility and was placed under mandatory quarantine. Federal health officials declined to offer more information about the citizen who tried to leave the base.
• Shen Wu Tan can be reached at stan@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.