City leaders say San Francisco is ready for coronavirus

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed held a briefing Monday to underscore there are no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the city. However, the city has opened its emergency operations center and is prepared if the situation changes.

She said there were rumors that a State Department flight might be coming into SFO on Tuesday, carrying U.S. consulate staff and perhaps other Americans. But the director of San Francisco International said he has been told that flight will now land first in Anchorage before continuing on to Ontario in Southern California. Passengers will be checked three times.

RELATED: What is coronavirus?

"The first health check will be by Chinese officials for passengers boarding the plane," said Ivar Satero. "The second check will be by U.S. officials on the aircraft that flew into Wuhan with that flight and will do a second health check before departing." He said a third health check will be done when the aircraft lands on U.S. soil in Anchorage.

In San Francisco's Chinatown, where there is awareness of the coronavirus outbreak in China, and at SFO, face masks are a familiar sight for protection. However, the city's health director says they're not recommended.

"There's no coronavirus circulating at this time, so you will not be wearing it for those reasons," said Dr. Tomas Aragon. "People can still wear it for other reasons like I don't want to get the flu virus that this other person next to me may have."

RELATED: Coronavirus: 5th case of new virus confirmed in Arizona, bringing US total to 5

San Francisco resident Syed Naqvi disagrees. He and his wife are wearing them as they fly to Pakistan.

"People are commuting, traveling from here to there, and they may bring this disease with them. And still, it is uncurable," he said. "That is a major concern."