CDC is monitoring for Wuhan coronavirus at 20 US airports
(CNN)The Centers for Disease Control is monitoring for symptoms of the Wuhan coronavirus at 20 US airports, the agency said on its website Monday.
The CDC had previously announced enhanced screening of passengers from Wuhan, China, at five airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, San Francisco International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The move to monitor more airports comes as the coronavirus continues to spread and the State Department prepares to evacuate US government personnel and private American citizens from Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.
The US State Department on Monday ordered personnel working at the US Consulate General in Wuhan to depart for the United States, a State Department official told CNN in a statement.
A California-bound flight chartered by the State Department is scheduled to depart Wuhan Tianhe International Airport on Wednesday morning local time, the State Department official said. It will stop to refuel at Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, before arriving in Ontario, California, about 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
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About 240 Americans are expected to arrive in Anchorage, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services spokesman Clinton Bennett said. About three dozen US diplomats and their families are expected to be on board, a US official with knowledge of the matter told CNN Saturday.
Priority has also been given to US citizens who are «most at risk for contracting coronavirus» if they stay in city, the State Department official said. There are about 1,000 Americans living in Wuhan.
«All passengers will be subject to CDC screening, health observation, and monitoring requirements,» the State Department said in a statement.
The State Department issued a Level 4 advisory for Wuhan, meaning «no American should travel to Wuhan while this virus continues to have impact,» Vice President Mike Pence said Monday.
Also on Monday, the CDC raised its travel precautions for China to its highest of three levels, «warning,» which advises travelers to «avoid nonessential travel» to the country.
Ontario airport is preparing for flight from Wuhan
More than 100 people have died from the Wuhan coronavirus and more than 4,000 cases have been confirmed across China. Five cases of the disease have been confirmed in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The virus can be spread before any symptoms appear, Chinese health authorities said Sunday, meaning carriers may not realize they are infected before they transmit the virus to others.
Ontario Airport said in a statement Monday it has been working closely with federal, state, county and city partners to prepare for the arrival of the Wuhan flight. The airport has «conducted extensive training in managing situations such as this» and health, safety and security preparations are underway ahead of the flight’s planned arrival, the statement read.
Ontario Airport will operate under normal operations during the flight’s arrival, and the facility is taking steps to minimize risk to other travelers, staff, and the community, the statement read.
CNN’s Michael K. Callahan, Jennifer Hansler, Jon Passantino, Pauline Lockwood, David Culver and Ben Tinker contributed to this report.
