WA state prepares for Americans returning from China amid coronavirus outbreak

The federal government previously asked Washington state to plan for possible repatriation flights from China. This week,

Update: Feb. 3, 2020

Washington is no longer on the short list of states that could get coronavirus repatriation flights.

Last week, the federal government asked Washington state to prepare to accept flights. That would include housing people, opening quarantine stations, and offering other resources to people just returning from Hubei Province, China.

But as of Monday, the state has been told "to stand down on those efforts." That's according to Washington's Emergency Management Division.

There are no people currently in mandatory quarantine in Washington state.

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In that scenario, Washington would accept flights of Americans who are leaving regions with coronavirus outbreaks, and provide quarantine or housing areas. It's rare for Washington to participate in group or emergency repatriation, which involve hundreds of people needing to immediately leave a foreign country and receive assistance from the U.S. government upon return.

Karina Shagren with Washington state's Emergency Management Division says now that the state's been called on, they're looking at airfields, housing and resources that could accommodate many Americans.

She said, "Washington state right now is just doing an informal analysis to look at what capabilities, what resources we might have to accept a repatriation flight.

"At this point there's nothing to suggest that one of these flights is scheduled, this is just a pre-planning, a prudent measure, just to see what we might have available in the event that we are told to prepare for one of these flights."

200 Americans have already evacuated from China and are voluntarily under quarantine at a California airbase.

"We're looking at various municipal airfields just to see what might be able to handle say a 747 or a larger passenger plane", says Shagren. She says there would also be housing involved. "So we're looking at all of the logistics right now. Again, it's just in the planning phase. It's also my understanding that we're not the only state that is doing this."

The governor's office is aware of this request. Mike Faulk, a spokesperson for Governor Inslee, says “This issue has come up really in the last 24 hours.

“Logistically it’s an issue. Want those people to be safe, want the public to not be concerned that their health is at concern.”

Coronavirus cases

There are six cases of novel coronavirus in the U.S., one of them in Everett, WA. The illness is widespread in mainland China, where the illness has killed more than 200 people. Washington state is monitoring for more cases, and has tested at least 21 people for the novel virus.

Air travel impacts

This comes as travel in and out of China tightens, due to the outbreak of coronavirus on the mainland.

Sea-Tac Airport is now one of the special screening airports for the virus. Starting Sunday, all people leaving the center of the outbreak must fly through one of seven screening airports before entering the U.S.

They are:

• Chicago’s O’Hare International
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
• Honolulu International
• John F. Kennedy International
• Los Angeles International
• San Francisco International
• Seattle-Tacoma International

Growing numbers of airlines, including Delta, are cutting off flights to China for the time being.

And, all travelers coming directly from Wuhan, China to the U.S. will now be quarantined for 14 days. That change was directed by the Trump Administration on Friday.

Repatriation Program

The request of Washington came from the Department of Health and Human Services, based on the U.S. Repatriation Program. Washington state already has an emergency repatriation plan, updated last in 2019.

It states, "The U.S. Repatriation Program was established in 1935 under Section 1113 of the Social Security Act (Assistance for U.S. Citizens Returned from Foreign Countries) to provide Temporary Assistance to U.S. citizens and their dependents who have been identified by the U.S. Department of State (DOS) as having returned or been brought from a foreign country to the U.S. Because of destitution, illness, war, threat of war or similar crisis.

"Under federal law, repatriates upon their arrival at a Port of Entry (POE) in the United States are eligible to receive Emergency Repatriation assistance through the U.S. Repatriation Program. Cash aid, travel expenses, medical and mental health emergency care, temporary lodging and other services are offered to repatriates who need assistance."