Novel Coronavirus: Travis AFB To House Evacuees From Overseas

FAIRFIELD, CA —As the nation's eighth case of 2019 Novel Coronavirus was confirmed Saturday Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield was tapped to be one of four U.S. military bases on standby to house overseas travelers who may need to be quarantined. The Pentagon approved a Department of Health and Human Services request for facilities capable of housing at least 250 people in individual rooms through Feb. 29, according to announcement Saturday on the base's Facebook page.

Travis will only provide housing — the housing agency will be responsible for care, transportation, and security of evacuees, according to the base's statement.

"UPDATE: Evacuees being received at Travis AFB as part of the Department of Health and Human Services operation will be housed at Travis' Westwind Inn lodging facility. A safety cordon will be established, away from residential housing, to ensure the Travis mission can safely continue, the privacy of the evacuees can be enforced, and to protect the health and welfare of our Team Travis community. HHS will be responsible for all care, transportation, and security of the evacuees during the quarantine period.

"Individuals currently in lodging are being contacted and accommodated to secure alternate arrangements. Any future reservations, including temporary lodging within TLF, will be redirected at this time. There is not yet a projected date for re-opening availability, but as soon as we have an update, this will be pushed out. If you are inbound to Travis or have a specific question or concern about your lodging situation, please contact your unit sponsor and/or chain of command."

The other three installations selected to house evacuees were the 168th Regiment, Regional Training Institute in Fort Carson, Colorado; Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas; and the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, according to a statement from Jonathan Rath Hoffman, assistant to the Secretary of Defense for public affairs.

By Monday, there were 11 confirmed U.S. cases of the new coronavirus, including six in California: two people in Santa Clara County, two people in San Benito County, one person in Los Angeles County and one person in Orange County have tested positive for novel coronavirus 2019.

The virus, which presents with flu-like symptoms, is thought to have spread from animals to humans, perhaps at a large seafood and animal market in Wuhan, China.

As of Monday, the virus has sickened at least 20,438 people in China and killed 425, according to the National Health Commission of the People's Republic China.

The World Health Organization reported Monday that there were 153 confirmed cases and 1 death in 23 countries outside of China.

On Friday, Alex Azar, head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, declared a public health emergency due to the spread of the virus and said that anyone who had traveled to Hubei Province in China, where Wuhan is located, within the past 14 days, will be subject to a quarantine of up to 14 days.

Anyone who was in the rest of mainland China will be required to undergo health screenings at one of seven airports: San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, Chicago and Honolulu.

Also, foreign citizens who have been in China and "pose a risk" of transmitting the virus, except those who are immediate family of American citizens, will be denied entry into the United States.

Patch Editor Maggie Fusek contributed to this report.

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