Emergency Evacuation Planned
As I ask the obvious question, U.S. Working to Evacuate American Citizens From Epidemic-Stricken Chinese City
The U.S. government is working to evacuate American citizens by air from the epidemic-stricken Chinese city of Wuhan as soon as possible, according to people familiar with the effort.
The operation comes as the death toll from a newly identified coronavirus that originated in Wuhan climbs above 40 and the number of confirmed infections tops 1,300, with many of the cases in and around the central Chinese city of 11 million people. The fast spread of the disease in recent days across China and around the world, including two cases in the U.S., has raised fears of a deadly contagion.
Roughly 1,000 American citizens are thought to be in Wuhan, and the U.S. consulate there is reaching out to those it knows about to offer a seat on the plane, these people familiar with the matter said. The plane seats around 230 people, and will include diplomats from the U.S. consulate as well as Americans and their families. Those evacuated will be responsible for the cost.
China Orders Centralized Response, Taiwan Sends Tour Groups Home
Please consider China Orders Centralized Response to Virus Outbreak as Alert Level Rises
Xi Jinping established a new, high-level party committee to take control of the Chinese government’s response to a deadly new virus that has quickly spread across the country and around the world, as Beijing halted overseas departures of Chinese tour groups and Hong Kong raised its epidemic alert to the highest level.
After staying largely silent in public about the outbreak since it first emerged in central China last month, Mr. Xi on Saturday convened a special meeting of the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, calling for a more centralized response to the epidemic and asserting personal responsibility in addressing the crisis.
Key Details
- Beijing halted overseas departures of Chinese tour groups.
- Hong Kong raised its epidemic alert to the highest level.
- China announced further restrictions on the movement of its people, banning private vehicles from the streets of central Wuhan.
- Taiwan will refuse entry to tour groups and immediately send back any such tour groups that were already in Taiwan.
Economic Impact
The economic impact to China will be severe. This is right at the peak of the Chinese new year celebration.
Wuhan, population 11 million, is shut down. Private vehicles are banned.
Three Key Questions
- After the emergency evacuation takes place, should Trump ban incoming planes from China?
- Should we send back any individuals or tour groups already here?
- Should the people on the emergency evacuation be quarantined?
Question of the Day
Should Trump Ban all Inbound Flights From China?
Taiwan banned travel from China and is sending back tour groups. Should Trump do the same?https://t.co/P42OjNNXAa
— Mike “Mish” Shedlock (@MishGEA) January 25, 2020
Mike “Mish’ Shedlock
I would just as soon ban everything from China, until China handles its human rights violations and vast pollution problems. We shouldn’t be importing any food from China whatsoever, because of its likely contamination. We should not be trusting anything said by the Chinese government.
Just isolate China until it 1) Handles the CoV; 2) Turns its pollution around; 3) Ceases its human rights violations; 4) Stops its constant lying.
TOO late…it is already spread everywhere…
So does this mean NO more migrants
OR
is it a HUMan right to flee the infested areas and thereby killing the saviors….as planned…its called jihad…we won and claim 70 virgins and total victory
Time for more Quantitative Easing?
Won’t yes to any of these questions affect our precious stock market?
Personally, unless there is a direct test not just obvious symptoms, I think it’s nuts to bring anyone back to the US. Sorry, just because you were at the wrong place at the wrong time doesn’t mean I should suffer too. You’re rights? I have a right to live.
I wasn’t trying to copy that comment if it displays this chromebook has a mind of it’s own especially if you tilt it or flex it while sitting hard telling what it will do.
It’s already here, and who knows how many travellers have been in contact on their trips. Each of those is going to a different destination and the precautions that our governments are putting in place are woefully inadequate if this is as contagious as the scientists think. They won’t take the necessary steps, and will end up directing their populations to hospitals and health care centres where one person could infect dozens more. The economy takes priority and as George Carlin said, they don’t give a f–k about you. There are 8,000 ways to die; you avoid or survive all but one.
In the 14th century, the plague that killed 50 million people, over half the population of Europe, in seven years was spread at the speed of an ox cart.
In 1918, the Spanish Flu killed another 50 million in only 15 months. We were moving faster.
Modern jets are about 170 times faster than an ox cart. Once propagated, the debate will be over and billions could be infected.
Stop the planes out of quarantined China until CDC and Chinese authorities can get a handle on this bug.
Surely this will convince the world that we need more, better and faster tools in the hands of the CDC, and others like them, to fight this fight for us.
Don’t forget 90% of the US population is in an urban environment. This kind of population density also facilitates the spread of illness.
Personally think all countries should forbid incoming travellers from outside the region (and quarantine people for 14 days if returning home), and possibly all travel whatsover if it gets worse. I fully expect official statements to trail reality by a margin wide enough to make policy decisions worthless.
It’s like climate change. All the pronouncements are conservative. Nobody is going to take it seriously until it’s way too late.
Catch 22. Ban flights from China and liberals will scream racism and overreaction from bad orange man. Don’t ban flights and liberals will blame Trump for not doing the obvious when shtf.
I think banning flights is prudent but will have devastating consequences for individuals forced to stay. I would think it is likely public health authorities here will place the people from the evacuation flight on isolation or have them isolate at home. They will be followed closely no doubt.
The quarantine in Wuhan sounds like an effort to contain the illness but also leaves the population to fend for themselves, unable to do anything but shelter in place or walk where they need to go. Can you imagine how that would play out in NYC if they shut all of the subways and car traffic?
I don’t think the authorities have the courage to do quarantine until the outbreak is more serious . They will be seen to be weak or panicky or opportunistic , the implications are vast because it is not just sending people home but disinfection of aircraft, separation of airport traffic, ordering drivers at the border to go directly home etc. Very difficult to justify when the outbreak is “somewhere else” , when it is thought the virus will enter the country anyway, when it means implementing increased surveillance on the population, when cost of organisation in terms of disruption is high. So we are left with a cognitive dissonance between what needs to be done and what will be done. Personally I would ban all inbound traffic with strict procedure for allowing repatriation, but then I don’t have the concerns that politicians or businesses do. That would buy a country time to figure out the severity, hopefully limit propagation, because the aim would be to see it through till a vaccine was available, a year maybe in practical terms.
Instead we might have a fast contagion, a very bad reality and much more severe restrictions placed to try to deal with it.
Doesn’t stop people from organising something of their own defensive self quarantine if they so choose I suppose, those who are able to.
Ban everything from China,it’s all cheap ass junk anyway,waste of money.All that contaminated crap ends up at Walmart and Lowes,Walmart will just add 2 for 1 sale to move it with the label,”you must leave the store befor droppin dead”!
See link to traditionalright.com
Excellent book on 1918 Influenza: link to traditionalright.com
The problem is China can be more brutal than smart.
Or only allow flights in to places where people can be quarantined for a week.
Not that it matters, they will just go to Mexico and find a way to get to the US border, even a near border town, and the illegals ready to cross will catch it and bring it here.
Public Health isn’t politically correct – consider how AIDS/HIV became political. It was restricted to IV drug users and Homosexual men, but they said “anyone can get it” to avoid stigma, but this misdirected the efforts.
The R is around 3.5 (meaning one person will infect 3.5), it is slow onset so there are no clear symptoms (like you have a cold, the flu, or sore throat) and it is deadly, especially to the weak like the elderly.
Wait until it hits Typhoid LA, or San FranS**thole.
The Chinese are big in Africa and the response will be worse there.
And what of refugees and migrants in the Middle East and now in Europe?