Planes land at California military base carrying coronavirus evacuees
One of two planes lands at Travis Air Force base with coronavirus evacuees. Feb. 5, 2020
FAIRFIELD, Calif. - Two jetliners carrying 350 American evacuees from the epicenter of China’s deadly coronavirus outbreak landed early Wednesday morning at Travis Air Force Base near Fairfield.
The first of two flights aboard privately contracted Boeing 747-400s touched down at the Solano County military installation after their 6,500-mile flight at 3:59 a.m. The second landed 25 minutes later. That plane will then head on to Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Dieego.
All the people on board will be quarantined for 14 days. It's the first federally ordered quarantine in 50 years. The people on the first plane will stay at the Westwind Inn, and they will be monitored for the virus for symptoms of coronavirus. Officials say anyone who shows symptoms will be taken to a civilian hospital, not the one on the base. One civilian employee on the base said she was kept in the dark about the plan.
U.S. health officials said Tuesdaythat so far, none of the evacuees are showing symptoms of the virus, which has been linked to nearly 500 deaths.
The flights, operated by Kalitta Air, left Wuhan around 5 p.m. Pacific time.
The CDC will hold a news conference at noon.