California Tells 7,600 People To Self-Quarantine Over Concern Of Coronavirus Spread
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF/AP) — People in California who have recently returned from visiting China are being asked to stay home for the rest of the month to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus.
The California Department of Public Health said Friday that 7,600 people have been urged to self-quarantine: stay home, monitor their health and limit interaction with other people.
The figure does not include those who visited the China's Hubei province region where the virus is thought to have originated, as those travelers have flown on charter flights and been quarantined on U.S. military bases, including Travis Air Force base in Fairfield.
The self-quarantine directive applies to travelers returning to the U.S. on or after February 2.
The U.S. is funneling travelers from China to 11 airports, including San Francisco International Airport, to ensure they get medical screening and medical care. At least 34 people in the U.S. have tested positive for the virus, including 18 who returned home from a quarantined cruise ship in Japan, the Centers for Disease Control said during a conference call with reporters Friday.
Federal authorities at the San Francisco airport are informing the travelers who return from China that they should isolate themselves at home.
The CDC said it is not tracking how many people from each U.S. state who have returned from China have been asked to isolate themselves.
Federal officials share passenger details with states, who pass that information on to local health agencies. All those returning are advised to follow CDC recommendations to prevent possible transmission, the state agency said.
There are 10 people in California who have tested positive for the virus in lab tests performed by the CDC, the California Department of Public Health said.
California's Humboldt and Sacramento counties reported their first cases of the virus Friday, both from people who had recently traveled to China.
© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
