Metro Airport designated as coronavirus screening location

FOX 2 - As U.S. government officials are working to prevent a coronavirus outbreak stateside, hospitals are also doing their part.

"We have policies that if somebody people should call if they suspect they have it before they come in," said Dr. Matthew Sims. "Somebody will meet them, put a mask on them, keep them away from other patients.

"What we're meeting about today is to talk about whether we need any specific policies 

One new guideline that's currently in effect requires US citizens who have traveled to China within the last two weeks to be rerouted to a designated airport where they will undergo enhanced screenings. One of those airports is Detroit Metro.

"They are looking for people who have fever, cough, who have traveled to those areas, they are looking for symptomatic people," said Sims, director of Infectious Disease Research at Beaumont Health.

The airport says it's also cleaning the Federal Inspection Station, also known as the International Arrivals area more frequently in both the North and McNamara terminals 

State officials are also doing their part. On Monday the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services activated an Emergency Coordination Center to support local and state response to the outbreak.

Government officials in China say the US government is overreacting but medical professionals here think differently 

"It's interesting for them to say that considering in China they've basically locked people down to prevent the spread," said Sims. 

And as US government officials and medical professionals work together to keep people safe, Dr. Sims says all hands must be on deck to combat the virus.

"The goal is to keep it contained as much as possible," he said.