NewsNational News

Actions

U.S. evacuees return from China amid coronavirus worry

Family from Alexandria among those attempting to leave Wuhan
Posted at 6:27 PM, Jan 29, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-29 19:36:59-05

200 American evacuees from China are back in the U.S. tonight, after boarding a flight out of China chartered by the U.S. State Department.

They were evacuated from Wuhan, the epicenter of the new strain of the coronavirus, and landed Wednesday at a military base in Ontario, California.

An official said the passengers are not required to stay at the military base for evaluation, but all are choosing to remain there voluntarily for at least three days.

The plane first landed in Anchorage, Alaska. Passengers initially underwent two health screenings before departing Wuhan and another two in Alaska, according to The Associated Press.

A family from Alexandria were confirmed to be among those attempting to evacuate China.

The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. remains at five as of Wednesday, officials say.

132 people have died from novel coronavirus as of Wednesday.