Coronavirus outbreak: Quarantined passengers from China arrive in Texas

A planeload of evacuees from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of a virus outbreak, arrived at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland on Friday, where they will spend the next 14 days under federal quarantine.

The passengers are part of a group of up to 250 evacuees who will be monitored at the military facility in Texas.

"These individuals are about to enter a very tough 14 day quarantine period," said Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control’s division of high consequence pathogens and pathology.

"They don't know what's coming. They don't have their items that they're comfortable with. And it's our job to make sure that they're not only safe, but they're comfortable," she said.

There were no signs of illness among those who flew into Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, McQuiston said.

She said fewer than 100 people, including babies, will stay at Lackland, but she did not have an exact number.

Some aboard the plane will be put under quarantine at a facility in Omaha, Nebraska.

"All across America, and San Antonio and Texas are no exception, hospitals are preparing for possible Corona virus cases," she said.

Earlier evacuation flights to California have brought people to March Air Reserve Base in Southern California and Travis Air Force Base between San Francisco and Sacramento.

U.S. officials said at a news conference in Washington on Friday that more than 800 people have been brought to the United States from Wuhan on recent flights.

All evacuees are being quarantined for 14 days and monitored for any signs of illness.