CDC expands airport health screenings for coronavirus to include Sea-Tac
Jan 28, 2020, 6:01 PM
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expanding its health screenings for the new coronavirus to 20 airports, including Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the department announced Tuesday.
For the past week, the CDC had already been checking travelers for symptoms at airports in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta.
These 15 additional airports are already part of the United States’ existing system of quarantine stations, which are staffed with public health officials who watch for sick international travelers.
>> See a map of U.S. quarantine stations
All passengers arriving from China will be asked an additional set of screening questions as they get off the plane, and could be pulled aside for additional screening.
The first case of Wuhan coronavirus was confirmed in Snohomish County on Jan. 21. According to the CDC, a man in his 30s recently returned from a trip to China and was treated at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett.
>> First case of Wuhan coronavirus confirmed in Snohomish County
Three students at the University of Washington were also tested after traveling to Wuhan.
>> 3 students from UW screened for coronavirus
As of Tuesday morning, there are five confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States.
