Iran added to monitoring list for coronavirus, OHA says

On Wednesday, the travel restrictions for someone coming into Oregon have changed in response to the global coronavirus outbreak. The Oregon Health Authority says anyone coming into Oregon from China and Iran must be monitored for the disease.

Before, the OHA says it was only monitoring people coming from China or if you were in close contact with a confirmed case.

Although the coronavirus has spread to more than 60 countries worldwide, Iran is the only country that has been added to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s monitoring list.

The CDC was not available today to explain why that is the current protocol.

With today’s change, the OHA says anyone coming to Oregon from either China or Iran must be put under 14-day self-quarantine.

During that quarantine, the person is required to check-in with their county’s health department if they are developing any symptoms of the virus.

Because it’s a self-quarantine, the OHA says there’s no way to enforce it.

But so far, it says everyone has cooperated.

“They’re going to be routed through one of 11 airports in the country where CDC has a quarantine station. If they’re well, they’ll proceed to their final destination,” said Paul Cieslak, Medical Director for Communicable Diseases and Immunizations for the Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division.

If the person isn’t coming from China or Iran or hasn’t had contact with a confirmed case, the agency says it’s relying on self-reporting.

That means someone calls their doctor to report their symptoms and, if needed, the doctor asks if they can run a coronavirus test on the patient.

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