Lawmakers demand details on decision to send 195 coronavirus evacuees to California m

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Lawmakers demand details on decision to send 195 Coronavirus evacuees to California military base
By: Sandra Emerson - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - 02-02-20
Re: https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2020/02...erside-county/

Photo link: https://www.eastbaytimes.com/wp-cont...L-1.jpg?w=1005
A team in white biohazard suits unload luggage off a charter flight from Wuhan, China, carrying approximately 200 U.S. citizens, after landing at March Air Reserve Base near Riverside Wednesday morning Jan. 29, 2020. The flight originated from the area where the coronavirus outbreak started. All the passengers will be held in quarantine for an unknown duration. (File photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Citing a lack of transparency, Reps. Mark Takano, D-Riverside, and Norma Torres, D-Pomona, are calling on U.S. Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett to explain why 195 Americans evacuated from the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China were airlifted to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County.

In the letter, sent Saturday, Feb. 1, the lawmakers said they were not consulted on the decision to redirect the flight from Ontario International Airport to the base, nor have they heard any update from the Department of Defense on the flight or any future plans to repatriate more Americans.

“We are deeply troubled by this lack of transparency,” the letter reads. “Any unilateral decisions in this regard has had and will continue to have lasting impacts on the employees and citizens at March as well as members of the surrounding community.”

The Air Force will respond to the letter, USAF spokesperson Ashley Wright said. A time frame for the response was not immediately known.

The evacuees, many of them State Department diplomats, are under federal quarantine at the base until Feb. 11, while health officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention monitor them for symptoms of the virus, which can include fever, coughing and respiratory issues.

The plane landed Wednesday, Jan. 29, after a brief stop in Anchorage, Alaska for refueling. The plane was originally scheduled to land at ONT, but it was redirected late Tuesday, frustrating local and federal lawmakers.

As of Friday, none of the passengers were showing any symptoms of the virus, local health officials said. As of Saturday evening in China, the virus has infected at least 11,791 people and killed 259.

There have been eight confirmed cases in the U.S., including one reported Saturday in Massachusetts, and one each in Santa Clara, Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The virus’s rapid spread in two months has prompted evacuations to the U.S. and other countries, and the World Health Organization on Thursday declared the outbreak a global emergency. The U.S. has issued a travel advisory urging Americans not to travel to China and major airlines have canceled flights there.

In their letter, Takano and Torres include a bullet-point list of questions for Barrett, including:

* What agencies and officials were involved in the decision to take the passengers to March ARB?

* What factors were taken into consideration?

* Did the Air Force consider the impact on operations at the base?

* Do federal officials plan to direct additional flights to the base?

* Is there room at the base for additional evacuees?

The lawmakers also want to know if any other bases or local hotels and facilities are being considered for repatriation and what precautions are being taken at the base to prevent the spread of the virus.

Lawmakers for the past week have been raising concerns about the repatriation of Americans to the Inland Empire. Torres has called for an investigation into the decision.

On Friday, officials in Moreno Valley, the city nearest the base, issued a statement saying they had met with federal officials and aired their own frustrations over the process.

“We understand that these fellow Americans had to be brought home safely, and we’re glad no one has so far exhibited virus symptoms,” Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez said. “But we learned about the decision from the news, and that’s not right. I just wanted to make it crystal clear that the residents and leadership of Moreno Valley expect better communication from federal officials going forward.”

Riverside County has established a hotline for residents with questions about the coronavirus: 951-358-5134.

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Personal note: HC - don't know if you have any cases in CA but this seem odd to transport folks to CA with this virus?

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