Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Nearly 200 Evacuees to Leave Coronavirus Quarantine in US
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
February 11, 2020

Share

RIVERSIDE — Nearly 200 evacuees prepared Tuesday to end their two-week quarantine at a Southern California military base where they have been living since flying out of China during a deadly viral outbreak.

The group — which set up classes and activities to make the most of their time — had a party Monday and planned to gather for a photo before heading out, said Matthew McCoy, one of the evacuees.
None of those who flew into March Air Reserve Base have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, health authorities said, although one evacuee at another base had been found to have the highly infectious virus and was in hospital isolation.
The group, which includes children, arrived Jan. 29, taking a chartered flight from Wuhan. The locked-down city of 11 million is the epicenter of the virus that has claimed more than 1,000 lives worldwide.
The group — which set up classes and activities to make the most of their time — had a party Monday and planned to gather for a photo before heading out, said Matthew McCoy, one of the evacuees.
Once they pass final screenings, most will be bused to catch flights at Ontario International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport, said Jose Arballo Jr., a spokesman for Riverside County’s public health agency. Some will get individual rides and about two dozen people will stay overnight to catch flights Wednesday, he said.
Photo of a plane carrying evacuees from the virus zone in China
FILE – In this Feb. 5, 2020, file photo, a plane carrying evacuees from the virus zone in China lands at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. An evacuee from China has tested positive for the coronavirus and has been isolated at a San Diego hospital, a person with direct knowledge of the matter tells The Associated Press, Monday, Feb. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

Fear of the Disease Has Led to ‘Unacceptable’ Treatment

In the United States, there have been only 13 confirmed cases, including seven in California, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health officials.

“There have been comments made that have been hurtful — both in person and on social media — that are often based on incorrect or incomplete information. A few base workers have even been accosted in uniform. This is not acceptable, and needs to stop.” — Dr. Cameron Kaiser, public health officer for Riverside County
Fear of the disease has led to “unacceptable” treatment of others who work at March Air Reserve Base, Dr. Cameron Kaiser, public health officer for Riverside County, said in an open letter to the community on Monday.
The evacuees, which include U.S. State Department workers and their families, were isolated from base personnel and weren’t permitted to leave a fenced quarantine area, Kaiser said.
“People on and off the base are not at increased risk for exposure,” Kaiser said.
“There have been comments made that have been hurtful — both in person and on social media — that are often based on incorrect or incomplete information,” Kaiser said. “A few base workers have even been accosted in uniform. This is not acceptable, and needs to stop.”

With One Exception, None Have Tested Positive for the Novel Coronavirus

Hundreds of evacuees in the past two weeks were flown to military bases in California, Texas and Nebraska, where most are still quarantined. With one exception, none have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, health authorities said. That exception was an evacuee who flew into Marine Air Station Miramar in San Diego last week.
The adult and three other evacuees had been in hospital isolation after showing symptoms of the virus but on Sunday, federal health officials said they had tested negative and they were sent back to the base, where they joined more than 200 people.
On Monday, however, CDC officials informed county health officials that “further testing revealed that one of the four patients tested positive” and was returned to hospital isolation. Another evacuee from Miramar also was hospitalized for evaluation Monday afternoon, UC San Diego Health said in a statement.
“Both patients are doing well and have minimal symptoms,” the statement said.
Five evacuees taken to Travis Air Force Base, located between San Francisco and Sacramento, were hospitalized after showing symptoms of the virus but no cases have been confirmed, authorities said.
No symptoms were reported among evacuees at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio or a Nebraska National Guard training base in Omaha.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

FDA Approves Moderna’s New Lower-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

DON'T MISS

Cabrera, Three Relievers Combine to Lead Marlins to Win Over Giants

DON'T MISS

Spike in Steel Tariffs Could Imperil Trump Promise of Lower Grocery Prices

DON'T MISS

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap

DON'T MISS

California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Vows to Repeal Transgender Athlete Law

DON'T MISS

Trans Athlete Competes in California Championships in Clovis Despite National Controversy

DON'T MISS

Tim Walz Urges Democrats to Fight Back Harder Against ‘Bully’ Trump

DON'T MISS

US Defense Secretary Warns Indo-Pacific Allies of ‘Imminent’ Threat From China

DON'T MISS

Hamas Responds to the US Ceasefire Proposal for Gaza While Seeking Amendments

DON'T MISS

No. 15 Overall Seed UCLA Eases Past Fresno State Behind a Season-High 22 Hits

UP NEXT

Loretta Swit, Emmy-winner Who Played Houlihan on Pioneering TV Series ‘M.A.S.H.,’ Has Died at 87

UP NEXT

Medicaid Work Rules Could Leave a Million Californians With No Health Insurance

UP NEXT

California Lawmaker Won’t Be Charged After Citation for Suspicion of Impaired Driving

UP NEXT

1 in 4 US Children Have Parents With Substance Use Disorder, Study Finds

UP NEXT

Dozens Sickened in Expanding Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Recalled Cucumbers

UP NEXT

Newsom Tussles With Local Officials Over Homelessness

UP NEXT

How Trump’s Vow to Revoke Chinese Student Visas Could Hurt California

UP NEXT

Speaker Johnson Raises Campaign Money in Fresno

UP NEXT

A Program Paying CA Jurors $100 a Day Would End Due to Newsom’s Budget Cuts

UP NEXT

‘I’m Really Scared’: Elderly and Disabled Californians Could Lose Medi-Cal Over $2,000 Limit

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap

5 hours ago

California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Vows to Repeal Transgender Athlete Law

9 hours ago

Trans Athlete Competes in California Championships in Clovis Despite National Controversy

12 hours ago

Tim Walz Urges Democrats to Fight Back Harder Against ‘Bully’ Trump

13 hours ago

US Defense Secretary Warns Indo-Pacific Allies of ‘Imminent’ Threat From China

13 hours ago

Hamas Responds to the US Ceasefire Proposal for Gaza While Seeking Amendments

13 hours ago

No. 15 Overall Seed UCLA Eases Past Fresno State Behind a Season-High 22 Hits

13 hours ago

Judge and Ohtani Light Up the First Inning With Historic Homers in Yankees-Dodgers Rematch

13 hours ago

Chapman Homers, Harrison Pitches Five Scoreless Innings as Giants Beat Marlins

14 hours ago

General Is a Good Boy — in English and Spanish

15 hours ago

FDA Approves Moderna’s New Lower-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

The U.S. approved a new COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna late Friday but with limits on who can use it — not a replacement for the company&#...

5 hours ago

5 hours ago

FDA Approves Moderna’s New Lower-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

5 hours ago

Cabrera, Three Relievers Combine to Lead Marlins to Win Over Giants

5 hours ago

Spike in Steel Tariffs Could Imperil Trump Promise of Lower Grocery Prices

5 hours ago

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap

Steve Hilton, a 2026 candidate for governor, speaks at a news conference on May 31, 2025, outside Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis. (GV Wire/David Taub)
9 hours ago

California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Vows to Repeal Transgender Athlete Law

12 hours ago

Trans Athlete Competes in California Championships in Clovis Despite National Controversy

13 hours ago

Tim Walz Urges Democrats to Fight Back Harder Against ‘Bully’ Trump

13 hours ago

US Defense Secretary Warns Indo-Pacific Allies of ‘Imminent’ Threat From China

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend