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Americans flown from China virus zone arrive in California

Published:Thursday | January 30, 2020 | 12:00 AM
The Associated Press
An airplane (in thebackground) carrying US citizens being evacuated from Wuhan, China, makes a refueling stop at the north terminal at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, on Tuesday evening.

RIVERSIDE, California (AP):

A plane evacuating 201 Americans from the Chinese city at the centre of the virus outbreak arrived yesterday at a Southern California military base after everyone aboard passed a health-screening test in Anchorage, where the aircraft had stopped to refuel.

The jet landed shortly after 8 a.m. at March Air Reserve Base, about 60 miles (96 kilometres) east of Los Angeles.

A ground crew dressed in white approached the aircraft shortly after it landed and three charter-style buses parked near the plane. About 40 minutes after landing, people could be seen walking from the plane to the first bus, which then departed. Another bus pulled up next to the plane’s baggage compartment.

Federal and local public health officials scheduled a media briefing for later in the morning.

All the passengers already underwent two health screenings in China and were screened twice more in Anchorage by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One passenger received medical attention for a minor injury that happened before boarding the airplane in China, Dr Anne Zink, Alaska’s chief medical officer, told reporters after the plane left.

The US government chartered the plane to fly out diplomats from the US consulate in Wuhan, where the latest coronavirus outbreak started, and other Americans. The plane landed Tuesday night in Anchorage. The Americans will undergo additional health screenings in California and will be temporarily housed as they finish the repatriation process, officials said. Officials have not said how long that housing period will last.

“For many of us directly involved in this, it’s become a moving and uplifting experience. The whole plane erupted into cheers when the crew welcomed them back to the United States,” Zink said.

“This is the best possible outcome,” state health commissioner Adam Crum said in a statement. “We wish these passengers the best of luck as they complete their journeys home, and I am deeply grateful to everyone who came together to assist us in helping with this repatriation effort.”