US workers didn't have proper gear to work with coronavirus evacuees, HHS whistleblower claims

Federal workers did not have the necessary protective gear or training when they were sent to help quarantined Americans who were evacuated from China during the coronavirus outbreak, according to a government whistleblower complaint.

The complaint alleges employees with the Department of Health and Human Services were sent to Travis and March Air Force bases in California without full protective gear and training on how to protect themselves in a viral hot zone.

While helping the evacuees, team members noticed that workers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were in full gear to protect them from getting sick whereas they had no respirator masks, only gloves and masks at times.

The team consisted of about 14 employees who had been deployed to help connect the evacuees with government assistance from mid-January until early February.