Logan diverting direct flights from China
Direct flights from Beijing and Shanghai have stopped arriving at Boston Logan International Airport and those who may have been exposed to coronavirus have been ordered to selfquarantine, but experts say the virus — which has killed at least 425 people worldwide — is still spreading “rampantly.”
“We are preparing as if this were the next pandemic,” said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
The Department of Homeland Security, along with the CDC, is recommending travelers returning to the United States from China self-quarantine for up to two weeks, even if they are asymptomatic.
When asked whether people should self-quarantine, Gov. Charlie Baker noted the CDC guidelines, which were also posted to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health website.
“Anybody who has any concerns at all who’s been to mainland China any time in the past few weeks or has been in contact with people should absolutely be pursuing the recommendations,” Baker said. “Among other things, they encourage selfquarantine for at least two weeks.”
Mayor Martin Walsh and the Boston Public Health Commission also said in a statement they are adhering to CDC guidelines.
Baker noted that the CDC has diverted flights from China to 11 airports around the country, depending on volume and capacity.
“Logan is not one of those airports,” Baker said, adding that the only flights from China that will be coming into Logan will be flights from Hong Kong.
If someone arrives from Hong Kong who’s deemed “of concern,” they would be screened, according to Baker.
Travelers were screened at Logan Airport over the course of the past 5 or 10 days, Baker said.
Coronavirus has infected 17,391 worldwide and has spread to 23 countries, according to the World Health Organization. There are currently 11 confirmed cases of the potentially deadly virus in the U.S.
Dr. Jack Regan, CEO and founder of Lexagene, which develops pathogen detection platforms said, “Now, we’ve lost control. We have to face reality here, this virus is spreading rampantly, pretty quickly across the world and it’s only been six weeks.”
While self-quarantine can help, Regan, who is a virologist and influenza expert, said it is tricky to execute effectively.
“It’s very difficult to get people to comply in a way which would prevent disease spread,” said Regan.
Dr. Andrew Le, clinician and CEO of Buoy Health in Boston, whose software will help triage patients with coronavirus concerns, said, “If someone is exposed and someone exhibits symptoms, there are situations in which self-quarantine is the right thing to do.”
A UMass Boston student was identified as the Bay State’s first confirmed case of coronavirus on Saturday. He did not attend class or campus activities and remains isolated, according to the university.
The Washington man who became the first U.S. patient infected with the new virus from China has left the hospital and said in a statement to the Associated Press that he is getting better and looking forward to life returning to normal.