The 57 people who arrived in Nebraska Feb. 7 for coronavirus monitoring and quarantine left the Nebraska National Guard’s Camp Ashland location Thursday morning as their quarantine period came to an end. The 14-day quarantine period, mandated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), officially came to an end at 9 a.m. CST.
By all accounts, their stay in Ashland, outside of Omaha, was uneventful. One person developed minor respiratory symptoms Feb. 14 and was transported to the National Quarantine Unit on the UNMC/Nebraska Medical Center campus. After two negative coronavirus tests, this person returned to Camp Ashland for the rest of the quarantine period.
These 57 people were flown to Omaha after being in the Wuhan area of China, where the current coronavirus outbreak is believed to have originated. All 57 are leaving Omaha via Eppley Airfield.
The operation to rescue these Americans from China was a collaborative effort between a number of agencies. UNMC/Nebraska Medicine, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC, Douglas County Health Department, Sarpy-Cass County Health Department, Lincoln-Lancaster Health Department, Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Three Rivers Health Department and the Nebraska National Guard all worked together on the effort to bring these people home in a time of critical need.