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As the coronavirus outbreak continues to grow, Americans that live in China are trying to find a way home to the U.S.
There is now a flight carrying around 200 American evacuees from China to a U.S. military base in Southern California.
The US State Department chartered the flight that touched down on Tuesday night at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Alaska after leaving Wuhan, China.
While in Anchorage, the passengers (who had already been screened in China) underwent two more health screenings. The CDC approved the flight for travel to California.
Officials kept the passengers in the airport’s north terminal, far away from the domestic terminal. Officials will work with the CDC to ensure that the area has been fully cleansed.
Passengers onboard felt elated when they finally made it back to the United States. The joy was palpable when they landed in Anchorage, where they received a hot meal and had a chance to recharge their phones.
“For many of us directly involved, this has been a moving and uplifting experience,” said Alaska’s chief medical officer, Dr. Anne Zink. “The whole plane erupted in cheers when the crew said, ‘Welcome home to the United States.'”
About 1,000 American citizens live in Wuhan. But priority was given to those who are “most at risk for contracting coronavirus” if they stayed in the city.
The State Department said it wasn’t able to accommodate everyone because of space limitations, but they’re working hard to identify alternative routes for US citizens to leave Wuhan.
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So far, the coronavirus has infected nearly 6,000 people and killed 132 others. Most of these cases are located in Wuhan, where the virus was first transmitted to a human.
Since then there have been five cases confirmed in the United States. Officials also confirmed 91 cases outside of mainland China in general.
