Honolulu chosen as 1 of 7 U.S. airport sites to allow China flights starting Sunday

https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/02/01/hawaii-news/honolulu-chosen-as-1-of-7-u-s-airport-sites-to-allow-china-flights-starting-sunday/?HSA=b59558298fabc4e772c7ac63daafe70d25982914

The state is scrambling to prepare isolated quarantine areas for an unspecified number of additional travelers diverted here on flights from China.

In a surprise move, federal officials announced Friday that Honolulu will be one of seven airports where all flights to the U.S. from China will be funneled starting Sunday — amid growing fears over the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

The U.S. declared a public health emergency due to the outbreak in China, placing a temporary ban on foreign nationals who recently traveled to the country — other than immediate family of U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The federal government also ordered an unprecedented 14-day quarantine of those who visited Hubei province within two weeks. State officials were stunned by the emergency order by President Donald Trump to contain the deadly virus but say they are preparing to keep the local community safe. There are no suspected cases of coronavirus here, and officials say there is low concern.

“I understand people would prefer that Hawaii not have been designated, but that was a federal decision,” said Lt. Gov. Josh Green, an emergency room physician. “It was a sudden flurry of decisions from D.C. that set in motion the additional need to plan for quarantines. That’s what caught everyone off guard. We’re not expecting to have a large number of cases. We’re expecting less traffic, unless there’s a sudden emergency. Hopefully we’ll have none, but we are ready to screen anybody as necessary.”

“This is playing Russian Roulette with our economy, and we don’t deserve to be put on this list,” Ward said, adding that he will ask Gov. David Ige and the White House to remove Honolulu from the list of designated airports, which include New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.