OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — American evacuees arrived at Eppley Airfield from China on Friday amid coronavirus concerns.
Fifty-seven passengers in total arrived at Eppley Airfield just before 7 p.m., including 10 children.
The passengers, along with the pilot and crew, will be screened and quarantined at Camp Ashland for the next 14 days.
KMTV was told by the Nebraska National Guard that the evacuees set to be quarantined at Camp Ashland are "healthy people." They were screened after they landed in Omaha and before they were taken to Camp Ashland. A DHHS spokesperson said none of the passengers showed any symptoms of coronavirus during that screening.
The passengers were screened multiple times prior to arriving in Omaha, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said on Friday. The quarantine order is meant to protect travelers, their families and the public at large.
WATCH: American evacuees get off the plane at Eppley Airfield
CDC staffers will perform risk assessments to ensure the health of each traveler, including temperature checks.
The CDC will work with state and local public health officials to bring any passenger showing symptoms to a hospital for evaluation.
Prior to arriving in Omaha, the plane had stops at Travis Air Force Base in California and Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.
WATCH: The Department of Health and Human Services holds a press conference at Eppley Airfield
The 2019 novel coronavirus is a new virus strain that is believed to have originated near the Wuhan region of China and started spreading among people late last year.
While the CDC says the immediate risk of coronavirus exposure to the general public is low, they’re taking measures to keep the risk minimal.
Read more about the plan to house and handle the evacuees:
- The group will be quarantined at Camp Ashland for at least 14 days
- UNMC/Nebraska Med prepared to take in coronavirus patients
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