Shoreline lab chosen as new coronavirus quarantine site

A piece of state-owned land behind the public health lab in Shoreline has been chosen as the preferred spot to quarantine healthy people traveling to the Seattle area from Hubei Province, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.

State Department of Health incident commander Kevin Wickersham said Friday that Washington has rented three RVs to house up to six people each for two weeks. A fourth RV will house medical staff overseeing any quarantined patients.

“I also want to be clear that the likelihood of us using any of these facilities is relatively low,” Wickersham said. He added that fencing will be installed for patient privacy and law enforcement will be posted around the clock if quarantine starts.

Earlier this week, officials announced that the State Patrol's Fire Training Academy in North Bend could be a possible quarantine site. Shoreline, though, is now the first-choice quarantine location.

However, the RVs slated for use in Shoreline do not meet federal accessibility standards, so people with disabilities would be sent to North Bend after all. Fire Training Academy students in North Bend have been temporarily placed in hotels to make room for potential patients.

Quarantined individuals would be monitored for flu-like symptoms and either released or sent to a medical clinic or hospital for treatment. Wickersham said food and laundry would be taken care of for the quarantined and that neither the North Bend or Shoreline locations pose any risk to the general public.

If you think you might have been exposed, state health officials said, the best thing to do is quarantine yourself at home. Anyone with flu-like symptoms should call a doctor.

Novel Coronavirus Infection Map: