BATTLE CREEK, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — A military training center in Calhoun County could be one of 11 outposts in the country selected to quarantine individuals with the respiratory illness coronavirus.
Fort Custer in Battle Creek is one of the military facilities under consideration as the national government steps up its response to the contagion. As of Friday, February 7th the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 12 active cases of 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the United States.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is reportedly considering sending the Federal Department of Health and Human Services a request to select 11 military facilities near major airports to house people with active cases. The precautionary move would allow individuals to be quarantined at the locations if nearby health facitilies find themselves overfilled with patients affected by the virus.
The request details how each selected location could house up to 20 patients as they undergo a period of observation while in quarantine.
Health officials are saying that using locations close to airports is crucial, because it allows them to have space for the active monitoring and detention of those suspected of carrying the virus. The current strain of coronavirus originated in China in late 2019, and has since caused the death of an estimated 640 people mostly in that country.
The Department of Health and Human Services and local health departments will be responsible for all of the care, security, and transportation provided to the individuals.
The Defense Department sats that it will provide office space for health personnel and their equipment through February 22nd.
