CDC Quarantines 195 USA Citizens at Military Base

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Twitter that it has issued federal quarantine orders to all 195 US citizens who repatriated to the USA on January 29, 2020.

This CDC quarantine order issued on January 31, 2020, is authorized under the statutory authority of the Health and Human Services Secretary and is related to the expanding 2019-nCoV outbreak in the USA and around the globe.

The CDC said this is the first time in about 50 years a quarantine order has been issued in the USA.

The CDC says ‘Isolation and quarantine help protect the public by preventing exposure to people who have or may have a contagious disease.’

Furthermore, as of January 31, 2020, the CDC says there are no approved antiviral medications to treat or vaccines to prevent the 2019-nCoV.

Dr. Nancy Messonnier, Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and representatives from the Illinois Department of Health, announced on January 30th the 1st person-to-person spreading of the novel coronavirus named 2019-nCoV.

In total, the CDC has confirmed 6 cases of the 2019-nCoV in the USA since January 21, 2020.

Additionally, there are 121 specimens received and awaiting testing, as well as specimens in route to CDC, as of January 31st.

Separately, as of 08:41 Beijing Time, China's National Health Committees reported 9,811 confirmed cases of the 2019-nCoV virus, with 15,238 suspected cases and 213 related fatalities, as of January 31st.

These 195 quarantined individuals landed in California around 8 a.m. PST on January 29, 2020, at March Air Reserve Base (ARB).

March ARB is located about 60 miles east of Los Angeles, California, and is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's Fourth Air Force Headquarters and the host of 452d Air Mobility Wing, the largest air mobility wing of the Fourth Air Force.

U.S. Quarantine Stations are located at ports of entry and are part of a comprehensive Quarantine System that serves to limit the introduction of infectious diseases into the USA, says the CDC.

Recently, the US Department of State announced it 'will be staging additional evacuation flights for private U.S. citizens to return to the USA departing from the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, on or about February 3, 2020. 

Interested U.S. citizens in possession of valid passports should contact CoronaVirusEmergencyUSC@State.gov with the appropriate information.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases, says the CDC.

The best-known human coronaviruses are Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).

The need for human coronavirus vaccines was first identified in the mid-1960s. 

In response to the current 2019-nCoV virus outbreak, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the NIAID said during an HHS press conference on January 28, 2020, "A phase 1 clinical trial does not mean you have a (coronavirus) vaccine that’s ready for deployment.” 

“It could take a year or more before a vaccine is ready for sale to the public."

Coronavirus outbreak travel news is published by Vax-Before-Travel.