Today marks one year since a flight from Wuhan lands in Riverside
On this day just one year ago, the pandemic arrived at our doorsteps.
Jan. 29 marks the day in which a plane carrying up to 201 U.S. citizens evacuating the Wuhan region of China, where the coronavirus outbreak was first detected, arrived at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside.
The evacuees were greeted by a team of medical personnel in hazmat suits once they landed.
Afterwards, they were taken to a base medical facility for evaluation.
The passengers were initially under a voluntary 72-hour quarantine.
However, one passenger attempted to leave the very next day. Then, just two days after they landed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ordered a mandatory 14-day quarantine for 195 passengers.
Passengers on the flight consisted of U.S. State Department employees, U.S. contractors who have been working in China, and other U.S. citizens,'' according to a statement from San Bernardino County.
The passengers were released from quarantine on Feb. 11. At the time of their release from quarantine, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States was just 12. Just two weeks later, on February 25, the first Riverside County resident tested positive for the virus.
A little over two months after the plane from Wuhan landed in Riverside, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for California, The state's first stay-at-home followed shortly thereafter.
Geoffrey Leung, M.D., Ed.M., Ambulatory Medical Director, penned a poem to capture the efforts of the county's team. You can hear it below:
Stay up-to-date with the latest local coronavirus news, including reopenings and closing, new case data, live news conferences, and other updates at KESQ.com/Coronavirus and download the News Channel 3 app on the Apple Store and Google Play.
