First American coronavirus evacuees released from quarantine

The first Americans evacuated from Wuhan, China, amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak were released on Tuesday after a two-week quarantine at March Air Reserve Base in California. Most of the 195 evacuees left by bus for nearby airports to continue on to their final destination.

A small group is remaining on base until tomorrow due to their travel arrangements, officials said in a news conference on Tuesday.

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"Our work here is done, these people are going home, and I expect each and every one of us to let them," Dr. Cameron Kaiser, public health officer of Riverside County Health, said.

Officials said the individuals passed all health screenings, including those issued before their release on Tuesday, and pose "no risk" to their communities.

"These people do not have coronavirus," Rear Admiral Dr. Nancy Knight, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said. "It is important they go back into their communities and they be accepted into their communities,"

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The group is largely made up of State Department employees and their families and has been continually monitored for possible symptoms of the coronavirus, which includes fever, shortness of breath and respiratory issues. Two children in the group were taken to the hospital after they developed a fever, but both tested negative for the coronavirus.

“Today is the 14th day of the quarantine of the individuals who were on the first charter flight returning from Wuhan province and they are currently being assessed to make sure they remain symptom-free, and then we hope they will be released to travel to their home today,” Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, said earlier on Tuesday. “So that’s one milestone that we will be celebrating later on this morning.”

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The evacuees arrived at the base, which about 60 miles east of Los Angeles, on Jan. 29 after briefly stopping in Alaska to refuel. The plane had initially been headed to Ontario International Reserve Base but was diverted to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County “for the logistics that they have.”

Jarred Evans, a professional football player among the evacuees, previously told Fox News that he was “ready to go home and see family and friends.”

“They’re doing an amazing job here, the Department of State is definitely doing their work and we appreciate them,” he said.

The evacuees, who have according to several accounts become a close-knit group, threw themselves a Super Bowl party with chicken wings and beer, Evans said, although they were all still taking major precautions while under quarantine.

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“This is a very serious matter and the cases [in China] are still rising to this day,” Evans said. “You have to take very important consideration of your hygiene and make sure you are completely healthy and take care of your body.”

There have been 13 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S., including one evacuee who landed in California last week. The patient was one of 167 evacuees who left Wuhan on another State Department chartered flight that landed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego on Wednesday.

The patient is currently at UC San Diego Medical Center and is "doing well" in isolation. The evacuee is one of four people who were taken to the hospital with fever or cough, and initially, CDC officials said all of them had tested negative for the virus. However, on Monday the patient underwent additional testing while in quarantine which came back positive.

China has reported over 1,000 deaths linked to the outbreak, which has sickened more than 40,000 others worldwide.

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