Civil Air Patrol Squadron Meeting Canceled At March Air Base Out Of 'An Abundance Of Caution'

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - A scheduled meeting for the Civil Air Patrol squadron located at March Air Reserve Base was called off Monday as a precaution while health officials continue to monitor nearly 200 government employees under quarantine after they were possibly exposed to the coronavirus in China.

Known as a "composite squadron," CAP Squadron 45 has both cadets ages 12-19 and adults of all ages. The unit serves a variety of functions within the California Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, which is also known as the Air Force Auxiliary.

While the squadron meets in a building on the south end of the base and the quarantine site for the U.S. State Department and other government workers who were evacuated last month from Wuhan, China, is to the west, officials say the meeting was called off "in the best interest of our members".

"All (quarantined personnel) have been screened three times, and no one is presenting any symptoms of the Wuhan coronavirus,"said Maj. Raymond Gould, Civil Air Patrol Squadron 45 commander, in an email obtained by City News Service. "The federal government is merely exercising an abundance of caution."

Wing staff and March ARB officials were consulted before making the decision to cancel the meeting, Gould said.

A quarantine order was put in place last week after 201 Americans from the Chinese city at the center of the virus outbreak arrived at March Air Reserve Base east of Los Angeles after a refueling stop in Anchorage, Alaska.

All passengers underwent two health screenings in China and were screened twice in Anchorage before being allowed to continue on the trip.

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)