News of the coronavirus was huge this month as Travis Air Force Base was designated as one of four federal evacuation centers in the U.S.
The others include the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and the 168th Regiment Regional Training Institute in Colorado.
Evacuees, Americans from the Wuhan region, are slated to be housed at the Westwind Inn hotel at Travis and will not be allowed to leave the confines of the facility for their protection and that of the community.
Base officials advised that Health and Human Services personnel would be responsible for the care, security and transportation of the evacuees during the quarantine period and that Travis airmen and personnel would not have any direct contact with the evacuees.
Evacuees have not necessarily been infected or exhibited signs of the illness from the coronavirus but were in the region surrounding Wuhan, China during the outbreak and are undergoing testing for symptoms, officials said.
The base also noted that individuals currently staying at the Westwind Inn were being contacted and accommodated for alternate arrangements. Future reservations, including temporary lodging, would be redirected.
Federal health officials later indicated that the risk of spreading the virus was low.
“There’s a lot of confusion and fear of this particular emerging disease,” said Dr. Henry Walke, director of the Division of Preparedness and Emerging Infections in the CDCP’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, during a press conference.
He advised that evacuees will have their own rooms, share common rooms and an outdoor space, have access to laundry facilities and food and other services.
None of the evacuees currently show any symptoms of exposure, though one child has exhibited a fever and is being cared for, he said. All evacuees will be monitored around the clock and evaluated regularly.
This is the first time in 50 years that the CDCP has enacted a quarantine.
“It’s an unprecedented action but we are facing an unprecedented public health threat,” Walke said.
Later in the month, a second wave of evacuees were quarantined at Travis. This time, they were passengers aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which had experienced an outbreak.
An estimated 14 of the passengers had tested positive for the virus.
“These individuals were moved in the most expeditious and safe manner to a specialized containment area on the evacuation aircraft to isolate them in accordance with standard protocols,” officials said at the time.
The infected evacuees — who had not yet displayed symptoms — were allowed to remain on the flight but were secluded from other passengers.
Those who tested positive or developed symptoms in-flight were transported to an off-base hospital for containment and specialized care. Thirteen of those were treated at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s 20-bed National Quarantine Unit. A sicker patient was treated at the center’s Biocontainment Unit, which had previously cared for Ebola patients in 2014.
Base officials advised that there are 171 additional passengers on the base, not counting the previous two sets of evacuees from China who arrived on Feb. 5 and 7 and have been part of a separate quarantine. Currently, the base said none of the passengers at Travis have tested positive for the coronavirus or shown any symptoms.
The new passengers are being housed separately from the individuals already part of the previous quarantine process, the CDC said.
Solano County’s suspicious case
Meanwhile in Solano, the county noted what appeared to be the nation’s first case of person-to-person coronavirus transmission, fueling concern that the illness could spread undetected in the community.
The unidentified resident had not recently returned from a foreign country or have contact with a person who was known to be sick or infected.
Such person-to-person transmission is worrisome because a virus is much harder to control once is spreads in offices, schools and other community sites, officials said. It differs from other cases where infection was detected in known travelers who were safely quarantined.
This case, now being treated in Sacramento County, was detected through the U.S. public health system — picked up by astute clinicians, according to the CDC.
Health officials are now tracking down contacts of the patient, as well as investigating whether patient was unknowingly exposed to a returned traveler who was infected.
This means that the U.S. joins other nations where the virus is appearing without a known source of exposure, such as Hong Kong, Italy, Iran, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.
Vacaville honors
Amidst the furor over the coronavirus, there have been bright spots this month.
Like Dave Wonnell being named Firefighter of the Year for the Vacaville Fire Department.
The Air Force veteran had long held ambitions of firefighting.
His dad is retired from law enforcement and durig ride-alongs they’d sop at the local fire station, which fascinated him.
After attending community college in Santa Clara and gaining an associates degree in fire technology, he joined the Air Force Reserves at 21, serving eight years.
Meanwhile, he did all manner of jobs, including as an EMS, as he searched for a permanent firefighting job. He worked with a wildland hand crew for the Bureau of Land Management for a season.
The crew out of Folsom Lake was all military veterans — Army and Marines with him the lone airman.
“It helped transition from the military,” he recalled. “That was probably the hardest I ever worked in my life.”
While at Travis, he and his wife fell in love with Vacaville. Getting a job with Vacaville Fire was icing on the cake, it seems.
With the department, he’s a member of the Honor Guard , plays the bagpipes, serves as a peer support group member, spearheads the annual Vacaville Firefighter’s Association’s Christmas Toy Drive, is involved with the annual crab feed fundraiser and is a union rep, too.
Two veteran Fairfield police brass to retire
Longtime Fairfield police Capt. Rob Lenke both celebrated his 50th birthday and retired, while Chief Randy Fenn announced his retirement.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Lenke remarked during his ceremony. “After 26 years, 20 years here, I’ll wake up (and not be a police officer).”
The Southern California native has law enforcement in his blood — an uncle served with the Los Angeles Police Department and cousins served with the Richmond Police Department and Butte County Sheriff’s Office.
Lenke previously served with the Marin County Sheriff’s Department, Fairfax Police Department and Napa County Sheriff’s Department.
With Fairfield, he worked every unit from Patrol to Internal Affairs and loved K-9 and his partner, Farin.
“I learned so much,” he said at the time. “He was such a great dog.”
He also loved Investigations.
“It’s where I felt I made the most difference,” he explained.
His next chapter includes a wedding, a honeymoon and lots of family time.
Meanwhile, Chief Randy Fenn announced that his final day will be May 1.
“It’s been the ongoing topic of conversation at my home,” he advised. “It’s time the Fenn family gets dad back for a bit.”
Fenn has been in policing since 1985, when he began as a cadet with his hometown agency, the Concord Police Department. Two years later, Cadet Fenn got his first paycheck.
In 1991, he attended the police academy and was hired by the department. He promoted to sergeant in 2001 and, in 2006, joined the Truckee Police Department as a lieutenant.
He helped build the department that had formed in 2001, working long hours on the job. Meanwhile, he had two little ones at home and he and his wife began re-evaluating whether to stay or return to the Bay Area.
In 2012, he joined the Fairfield Police Department as a lieutenant and promoted to captain two years later. In 2017, he was named chief, succeeding outgoing Chief Joe Allio.
While he’s enjoyed his tenure, Fenn admitted that a life in law enforcement isn’t easy.
“This job is tough,” he pointed out. “As great and supportive as this city is, it is absolutely a 24/7 job. You can never turn it off.”
His kids — a daughter, 14 and son, 12 — and his wife deserve more of his time, he said.
He’s proud of many things, including increasing community outreach.
“We really became ingrained in the community,” he said, with the social media push and community gatherings. The move just happened authentically, he said.
“This is not something novel,” he emphasized. “This is who we are. This is what we do.”
His staff, he continued, is simply amazing. They’re smart and caring and dedicated.
“We have so many good people from diverse backgrounds,” he said, adding that nearly 40 officers were hired during his three years as chief. “I’m just amazed at the caliber of the folks we have.”
Up next is lots of family time and possibly a cruise.
