SAN ANTONIO – A plane carrying passengers evacuated from Wuhan, China, for fear of possibly having contracted the new coronavirus, will arrive at JBSA-Lackland in San Antonio this week for quarantine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said Wednesday.
Passengers will also be sent to Travis Air Force Base in Sacramento, California, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego and Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska.
Recommended Videos
The passengers will be met by a team of CDC personnel to assess their health when they arrive.
WATCH: City, regional public health partners discuss coronavirus
CDC officials said the passengers were screened, monitored and evaluated by medical and public health personnel every step of the way, including before takeoff and during the flight from the epicenter of the deadly disease.
CDC staff will conduct risk assessments to ensure the health of each traveler, including temperature checks and observing for respiratory symptoms, officials said.
The passengers will be issued quarantine orders upon arrival at at their designated quarantine location. The quarantine, a legal order, is intended to protect the travelers, their families and the community, CDC officials said.
The quarantine order will begin on the day the flight left Wuhan and will continue for up to 14 days. Medical care will be readily available at the first onset of symptoms, if needed.
Understand: What is the coronavirus?
CDC officials will work with the state and local public health departments to transport any passenger exhibiting symptoms to a hospital for further evaluation.
The immediate risk of coronavirus exposure to the general public is low, CDC officials said. Taking the quarantine measures will help keep the virus' risk low.
Lackland will host a town hall forum Wednesday night to hear residents’ concerns regarding the quarantine zone.
The virus has infected more than 20,000 people across 26 countries and territories and killed more than 420, but the majority of cases -- currently an estimated 78% -- are coming from Hubei province in China, officials said.
In the U.S., 11 cases have been confirmed.