ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Anchorage’s Ted Stevens International Airport is among the top five cargo hubs in the world, with wide-body freighters stopping for fuel here before they lumber to the Lower 48 or back to Asia, making it a possibly underestimated entry point of entry for the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China.
The coronavirus, sometimes called the Wuhan virus, has spread quickly; five cases have been confirmed in the U.S. in as many days. It is being considered responsible for at least 56 deaths in China since being identified in Wuhan on Dec. 1. The Chinese government announced the virus Dec 31. Numerous conspiracy theories have developed linking biological warfare labs in Wuhan with the spread of the virus.
[Read: Wuhan has two covert biological weapons labs]
Flights directly from Wuhan to Anchorage arrive at least twice a week. The next one arrives on Monday as Asiana Air makes its usual pit stop. The crew of Asiana stays overnight in Anchorage, as pilots are swapped out and the carrier continues on to Chicago, loaded with merchandise for America.
Hundreds of cargo jets come and go through Anchorage weekly on the way to other mainland destinations. Many are FedEx and UPS flights, and Cathay Air, Korea Air, and they come through from Shanghai, Hong Kong, Kwong Chow, Wuhan, and other manufacturing hubs in the Far East.
Anchorage is the busiest cargo pit stop in the world that no cargo stays at or originates from. In terms of overall tonnage, Anchorage is only behind Hong Kong, Memphis, Shanghai and Incheon.
Sen. Dan Sullivan made a statement this week, reminding Alaskans that the chance of acquiring the virus from a package is almost zero. But actually, the crews of these cargo planes are not without risk. Some of the carriers, such as Atlas, FedEx, and UPS are sending out bulletins to remind pilots to wash their hands and consider wearing masks in China, and to also consider staying away from highly populated locations, such as malls or markets.
Greater Anchorage and Mat-Su is the base for between 300-500 pilots, many who come and go from China or other points in Asia on a daily basis. They fly for FedEx and UPS, and Atlas. Some pilots may go back and forth to China three times in a two-week period. Pilots for Alaska or Delta, fly between Anchorage and Hawaii, which is a major destination for tourists from Asia.
Must Read Alaska interviewed a cargo pilot who flies that route between Hong Kong or Shanghai and Anchorage, and who flies from Anchorage cargo hubs in the Lower 48, before returning home to Southcentral Alaska.
He said that while in China, pilots stay in hotels for between 24 hours and four days. Sometimes they are stuck there when typhoons come through and planes cannot fly.
During their stays, pilots leave their hotel rooms, mingle with the population as they go to restaurants for meals, and interact with loaders and freight managers, all of whom are also exposed to whatever pathogens are floating through the air in their commutes, stores, and neighborhoods.
“It’s the kind of thing that can keep you up at night,” the pilot said. With the speed of commerce, and having people move around the globe so quickly, the spread of the Wuhan virus is not only a heath concern, but a worry for commerce and the jobs associated with it.
One in every 10 jobs in Anchorage is a result of activity associated with the Ted Stevens International Airport. Flights from the Far East use the North Terminal, and a team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is assigned to Anchorage and is monitoring the North Terminal. No word whether any extra measures have been taken to monitor the health of the crews as they disembark from what is currently the hot zone for the coronavirus.
The coronavirus appears to be contagious as much as two weeks before symptoms appear, according to the Chinese government.
Most of the original cases of the virus were in people exposed to a seafood market in Wuhan that also has other wild meats for sale, such as bats and snakes. Some genetic science indicates the outbreak was traced to fruit bats, which gives it a commonality with the SARS virus outbreak in 2003 that killed 740 people and sickened thousands. SARS was also known as the avian flu or bird flu.
While Anchorage has direct flights from Wuhan, very few humans are coming on those planes from Asia at this time of year.
Tourism season will bring more through the airport and on cruise ships, which will create challenges at the Ted Stevens International Airport and port cities in Southeast Alaska. The first cruise ship arrives in Alaska in late April, docking in Juneau on April 24.
Industry experts estimate more than 10,000 Chinese tourists will visit Alaska this year.
Man if you ever wanted to get the population of the United States sick this seems like a good way to do it. Since it takes two weeks before symptoms start to show, think of how many astronomical equations and how far the disease can spread in that time. It’s gotten so bad over in China but the people are starting to revolt against the government over there. China has lockdown tens of millions of people. So the moral of the story here is be vigilant karma mask up wash up sterilize up and for God’s sake don’t eat dogs snakes and Badgers.
I think that by the time most people wake up, it will probably be a little late. The way the “novel” (whatever that means) virus is spreading, measures should already be underway to safeguard our own, just in case. It’s a lot easier than a person thinks. Add a few shelf stable groceries and stored water as often as possible and it adds up. A bit here, a bit there. Anything’s better than nothing. Especially if your kids are hungry. Depend on yourself and family first. Trust and charity may be in short supply when most needed.
All it takes is a good scare and the “grocery” ports on the West Coast that serve Alaska could shut down also. Who knows? Expect the best and prepare for the worst. Words to live by.
Yeah and arm yourself in case shtf.
Cover your eyes. Early evidence shows the virus enters through the eyes. NP 95 mask is the only mask that helps.
I can not find a NP95 mask on the net or any info on one.
“While Anchorage has direct flights from Wuhan, very few humans are coming on those planes from Asia at this time of year.”
Really? Then what would explain the 2 bus loads of Chinese tourists shopping at Fred Meyer’s store on the Old Steese in Fairbanks on Saturday afternoon?
An N95 mask means it is 94.97% efficient for dusts and mists down to 0.3 microns. A virus is smaller at 0.1 microns. The letters N, P, and R refer to oil resistance. N is not resistant, P is proof and R is resistant. These are not designed for pathogens but for industrial hygiene/safety.
Everything is going to be A-0K – Go back to sleep.
Best available, better than nothing. Eye protection seems to be critical
I am going to Post an entry from “Jim Sinclair’s MineSet”, “www.mineset.com” is a Financial Newsletter that is universally read. I highly recommend everyone read it daily. Seymour Marvin Mills Jr. sui juris
Jim’s Mailbox Posted January 24th, 2020 at 10:06 AM (CST) by Bill Holter & filed under Jim’s Mailbox. Bill, I just received a call from a close American friend of mine who just got off the phone with a Chinese friend, who has relatives in Wuhan. He says there may already be ~10,000 dead there from the virus. He was quite graphic about dreadful conditions in the city. He opined that the government was not coming clean on real facts. Imagine that? It is far worse Bill than people imagine: My friend reiterated that Wuhan, more than other places in China, has a local population which consumes rats, bats, snakes, etc. , just like I told him. His Wuhan relative recounted incidents of people walking down street and dropping dead. I see why the government has quarantined the place, which means nobody (especially the press) gets out or into the city. This is really scary stuff. I imagine that China was, and is covering up what they thought was contained and now is not and I doubt they understand the scope of global fallout that they have unleashed. Cheers, Robert Thanks Robert, truly sad on several levels. Best, Bill
We have satellites that can spot a dead mouse from orbit. After Wikileaks, and all the others, no government hack in their right mind would even think to keep 10,000 bodies on the streets of Wuhan secret. “mineset” is forever on my never click on list.
My husband and I just checked out of one of Anchorage’s (newer) hotels. We had a
enjoyable stay.We were a bit “wide-eyed” to see the several dozen Chinese airline pilots
in the lobby and exiting the elevators…
should we be concerned?
Carlie H.
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