The US government is rushing to evacuate Americans from the coronavirus-stricken Chinese city of Wuhan as officials warned the deadly strain’s spread is picking up speed.
A charter flight is scheduled to fly from the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport to San Francisco International Airport on Tuesday.
The US consulate in Wuhan began reaching out to all Americans registered as living in the city – of which there are said to be roughly 1,000 – last week to offer them a seat on the plane.
The State Department warned that the single flight will have ‘limited capacity’ to transport private US citizens along with consulate staff, and said ‘priority will be given to individuals at greater risk from coronavirus’.
Upon arrival in San Francisco, passengers are expected to be quarantined and screened for the virus which has sickened more than 2,800 people in at least 14 countries – with five confirmed cases in the US.
The death toll in China climbed to 81 on Monday as the Chinese government sent reinforcements into Wuhan, where the outbreak originated late last month.
The US government is rushing to evacuate some 1,000 Americans from the coronavirus-stricken Chinese city of Wuhan as China’s death toll climbed to 81 on Monday and officials warned the deadly strain’s spread is picking up speed. Staff are seen at a subway station in Wuhan – which has been on lockdown for five days – on Monday
The US consulate in Wuhan began reaching out to all Americans registered as living in the city last week to offer them a seat on a charter flight scheduled for Tuesday. The State Department released the statement above on Saturday warning that there will not be enough seats on the flight to evacuate all American citizens
A source familiar with the chartered evacuation flight told CNN that those who choose to evacuate will be forced to pay for their spot on the Boeing 767 jet, which carries around 230 people.
It is understood medical personnel will be on the flight to care for anyone who may have been infected by the virus and prevent it from spreading.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said it is involved in the efforts to help Americans leave Wuhan.
‘Department of State has the lead for the safe and expedient ordered departure of all US citizens from Wuhan, China,’ CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said Saturday. ‘CDC is aware and coordinating in the planning.’
Washington gained approval for the operation from China’s Foreign Ministry and other government agencies.
The US also plans to temporarily shut its Wuhan consulate, officials said.
Some 57 million people across 15 Chinese cities – including Wuhan – are on lockdown as officials work to slow the virus’ rapid spread.
The coronavirus strain, known as 2019-nCov, is believed to have emerged from illegally-traded wildlife at a seafood market in Wuhan, which sits about 700 miles south of the capital of Beijing in the Hubei province.
While preliminary research suggests the virus was passed to humans from snakes, Chinese health officials reported this week that some cases have been caused by human-to-human transmission increasing the risk of it spreading.
As of Monday morning, more than 2,800 cases have been reported in China, the majority of them in Hubei.
Another 47 have been reported across 13 other countries: Thailand (8), Taiwan (5), Singapore (4), France (3), Malaysia (4), Japan (4), South Korea (5), Vietnam (2), Nepal (1), Australia (5), Canada (2) and the US (5).
International concern has grown with the revelation that the virus spreads not just from animals to people, but between people, likely in a similar way to how colds spread.
As of Monday morning, there are seven confirmed cases and 64 suspected cases of coronavirus in the US and Canada
The US evacuation from Wuhan comes after a seventh coronavirus case was confirmed in North America on Monday morning.
The Ontario government announced that a second person had tested positive for the virus in Toronto – the wife of a man in his 50s who had been diagnosed on Saturday following a trip to China.
Three new cases were confirmed in the US over the weekend – two in California and one in Arizona.
US health officials say that both California patients, one in Orange County and the second in Los Angeles County, had recently returned from the epicenter of the outbreak in Wuhan.
The Arizona case came out of Maricopa County, and no other information was immediately available on that patient.
The two other US cases were previously confirmed in Snohomish County, Washington, last Tuesday and Chicago, Illinois on Friday.
Cities across America are on high alert as 63 people in 22 states are suspected to have contracted the deadly strain.
On Monday, President Donald Trump tweeted: ‘We are in very close communication with China concerning the virus. Very few cases reported in USA, but strongly on watch. We have offered China and President Xi any help that is necessary. Our experts are extraordinary!’
A second person in Canada has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Ontario government revealed on Monday. Travelers are seen wearing face masks at Toronto Pearson Airport
Three new cases of the deadly infection were confirmed in the US over the weekend as two patients tested positive in California and one in Arizona. Passengers are seen arriving at Los Angeles International Airport from Shanghai, China
As of Monday, the coronavirus has sickened more than 2,890 people in 14 countries and 81 people have died from the disease in China
Tensions have been high at US airports as travelers worry about exposure to the virus in such a high-traffic, confined environment.
Last week, US officials began funneling all passengers arriving in the US from Wuhan on direct or connecting flights through five major airports to ensure that they are screened.
Public health entry screenings are currently taking place Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, John F Kennedy International Airport in New York and San Francisco International Airport.
The screening begins with a survey to determine whether a traveler shows possible coronavirus symptoms and whether they visited the meat or seafood markets in Wuhan that have been tied to the outbreak.
If they appear to have any symptoms associated with coronavirus, travelers are taken to on-site triage for further examination and a temperature check.
The State Department issued its highest travel warning for Wuhan on Thursday, advising Americans to not travel to the region.
The level 4 warning puts the city on par with countries such as Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.