As Coronavirus Cases Hit 6,000, U.S. Evacuates Citizens from Wuhan

Chinese officials confirmed on Wednesday that the number of reported cases of the coronavirus had hit 6,000 as new reports of the virus spreading to those who had not visited China.

The United States sent a charter plane to evacuate over 200 Americans, mostly diplomatic staff and businesspeople.  It landed in Anchorage shortly after 9:20 p.m. Tuesday evening, where all passengers underwent two medical screenings before being permitted to continue to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California.   The passengers underwent an additional screening there and will remain there temporarily to ensure that there were no outbreaks of the virus.

Other countries that either have evacuated, or have plans to do so, their citizens from the region include Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and Russia.

Meanwhile, British Airways was the latest airline to announce it was suspending flights to China.  The move makes it the first major airline to suspend all flights to the country that is the center of the coronavirus outbreak.

“We apologize to customers for the inconvenience, but the safety of our customers and crew is always our priority,” the carrier said in a statement.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)