US Department Of Health To Prepare Point Mugu Naval Base For Possible Coronavirus Quarantine

POINT MUGU (CBSLA) – Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu is being considered to house people who are being quarantined for coronavirus.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement Sunday night that the naval base may receive American travelers coming through LAX who would be quarantined to be monitored for symptoms of coronavirus.

The quarantine would be based on a person's travel history, according to the statement. Any travelers housed at the base would be monitored for signs of infection and transferred to an appropriate medical facility if symptoms developed.

"At this time, HHS is preparing this site should it be needed in the rapidly evolving public health response," the statement said. "Any actions that HHS takes, working with federal, state, tribal and local partners to address this public health emergency, are being done in a way that protects both those quarantined and other citizens as well."

The coronavirus is not currently spreading in U.S. communities, according to the statement. Both the CDC and HHS have said that person-to-person spread of coronavirus in the U.S. has only been seen among close contacts of returned travelers from Wuhan.

"The immediate risk of this new virus to the American public is believed to be low at this time," the department said in the statement.

It is unclear at this time if the preparation of the naval base as a possible site for coronavirus quarantine is related to the fight to keep coronavirus patients out of Costa Mesa.