ATLANTA, Ga. – The Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport will begin screening for the deadly virus that has been spreading in Asia after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the first U.S. case in Washington State.
WSBTV reports that Atlanta officials had this to say:
“In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in China, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) is working with partners at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to mitigate the spread of all passengers and employees at ATL is of paramount concern.
Currently, ATL has two direct flights to Asia — to Shanghai, China and Seoul, South Korea. The CDC will be onsite at ATL’s International Terminal to process any passengers who exhibit severe symptoms or who may have come in contact with the disease.”
CNN reports that 471 cases have been confirmed in the mainland alone and health officials say the human-to-human transmissions will cause the disease to spread more rapidly.
The U.S. patient was checked out by a doctor when he returned to the Seattle area on January 15. The CDC has screened 1,200 passengers in the U.S. so far with no signs of disease and stated that based on current information, the immediate risk to the general American public is low.
