North Bend facility will serve as U.S. quarantine zone

Facility will be one of five nationwide.

A Fire Training facility in North Bend has been chosen as the site of quarantine for travelers from Hubei Province China, if they are unable to quarantine themselves.

The Washington State Patrol anounced on Tuesday (Feb. 4) that its Fire Training Academy would become the fifth quarantine zone in the United States, although it will only be used if travelers are unable to self quarantine at home.

A Snohomish County man was the first person in the United States diagnosed with the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) that originated in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. Admitted since Jan. 20, the 35-year-old man — who had traveled to Wuhan recently — was released from Providence Regional Medical Center Everett on Monday (Feb.1).

As of Feb. 4, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) reported that there has been only one confirmed case of the virus in Washington state and that there are a total of 22 persons under investigation (PUI) that have been tested. Of those tested, 18 were negative and 3 remained pending. Additionally, 17 close contacts were being monitored. DOH is reporting the risk locally is low.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport became one of 11 U.S. airports partnering with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Homeland Security to screen all passengers coming from China for symptoms.

The city of North Bend and the Washington Department of Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment.