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Coronavirus patients will not be coming to Alabama after all. A plan to bring the quarantined patients to a FEMA facility in Anniston, Alabama has been canceled. Both Governor Kay Ivey and Senator Richard Shelby confirmed the cancellation via Twitter.
Both Ivey and Shelby said they spoke with the president on the phone. He confirmed to both that the patients would not be coming to Alabama. There had been earlier reports that the president was angry at the idea of moving the patients in the first place.
Governor Ivey explained that while the state wanted to help those suffering from the disease, there were concerns. The notice was quite short, and there were logistical concerns as well. She stated that her first priority was protecting the people of Alabama.
The news is sure to cause relief across the state. Concern has been growing across the globe as the coronavirus has spread. Perhaps most worrying are reports that coronavirus patients can transmit the disease even when they show no signs of sickness. Thus far over 74,000 people have been infected, and 2,400 have died from the disease.
The latest outbreak is occurring in Italy. Approximately 132 cases have been reported in the past few days. It is experiencing the largest outbreak outside of Asia.
While a deadly outbreak of the coronavirus in the US is not out of the question, it is unlikely. The US is better equipped to handle an outbreak than China, which is where the virus has hit the hardest. Outbreaks in other countries have paled in comparison.