An airplane evacuating as many as 240 Americans from a Chinese city at the center of a virus outbreak departed Wednesday before dawn and is en route to Alaska, a State Department official has told The Associated Press
The U.S. government chartered the plane to fly out diplomats from the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan, where the latest coronavirus outbreak started, and other U.S. citizens. The plane will make a refueling stop in Anchorage before flying on to Ontario, California, the U.S. Embassy in China has said.
On Tuesday afternoon, Clinton Bennett, a spokesman with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, confirmed by email that the flight was expected to land in Anchorage sometime Tuesday night.
Wuhan is the epicenter of a new virus that has sickened thousands and killed more than 100 and the official said Tuesday that the plane left the city before dawn Wednesday, China time. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly.
During the refueling stop in Anchorage, the travelers will be re-screened for the virus. Hospitals have been notified and are prepared to treat or quarantine people who may be infected.
https://www.adn.com/nation-world/20...reak-en-route-to-anchorage-for-refueling
