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Coronavirus: covered by travel insurance? 8:50
(CNN) - A charter flight with approximately 210 Americans on board arrived in Alaska to refuel at its first stop in the United States since leaving the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China.
The coronavirus has killed about 130 people and infected another 6,000 in China, most of them in the most affected city of Wuhan. Five cases of the disease have been confirmed in the United States.
The flight chartered by the State Department left Wuhan on Wednesday, local time, and stopped in Anchorage, Alaska, according to KTUU, a CNN affiliate.
From there, you will head to the March Air Reserve Base near Riverside, California, where you will arrive early Wednesday.
The flight was originally planned to land at the Ontario International Civil Airport, about 56 miles from Los Angeles.
It is not immediately clear why the itinerary from the civil airport to a military base was changed. Curt Hagman, a San Bernardino county commissioner who is on the Ontario airport board, said they were informed Tuesday night that the plane will not land there.
Passengers will be examined in several stages
Passengers will go through a series of assessments during the trip and after landing.
The experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will evaluate you at Anchorage to determine if they are healthy enough to continue in California.
Passengers who have a cough, fever or difficulty breathing in Anchorage will be evaluated by medical experts, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.
“These people will be examined before taking off; monitored during the duration of the flight by medical personnel on board; checked again when landing to refuel in Anchorage, Alaska; monitored on the last stage of the flight by medical personnel on board; evaluated upon arrival at the March Air Reserve Base… and then monitored for symptoms after arrival, ”said the CDC.
Before the plane's arrival itinerary was changed to a military airport, an official had told CNN that passengers could be forced to remain isolated between three days and two weeks.
At that time, Hagman said authorities were installing beds, phone chargers and televisions in an isolated hangar at Ontario International Airport.
It is not clear whether the same procedure will be followed at the military base, which is located in a different county.
U.S. citizens at risk are a priority
Passengers include US diplomats and their families. The State Department had said that US citizens could also board reimbursably if there was space available.
While there are about 1,000 Americans living in Wuhan, priority was given to US citizens who are "at greater risk of contracting coronavirus" if they remain in the city, the State Department said.
He said he could not accommodate everyone due to space limitations, but is working to identify alternative routes for US citizens to leave Wuhan by land.
The State Department issued a Level 4 notice for Wuhan, which means that Americans should not travel to the city while the virus has an impact, said Vice President Mike Pence. He also ordered that the staff working at the United States Consulate in Wuhan leave for their country.
Other countries, such as South Korea and Japan, are also sending flights to evacuate citizens from the epicenter of the outbreak. The European Commission said it will send two planes to evacuate the citizens of the European Union of Wuhan.
Meanwhile, in the most drastic action of an important airline as the deadly coronavirus spreads, British Airways has suspended flights between the United Kingdom and China.
The UK Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned people who only travel to mainland China in essential cases.
Amir Ahmed, Andy Rose and Debra Goldschmidt contributed to this report.
Wuhan coronavirus