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Northam: Very Few Covid Cases Among Afghan Evacuees

Families evacuated from Kabul, Afghanistan, walk through the terminal before boarding a bus after they arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport, in Chantilly, Va., on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
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Families evacuated from Kabul, Afghanistan, walk through the terminal before boarding a bus after they arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport, in Chantilly, Va., on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

As Virginia coordinates public health efforts with the federal agencies in the effort to resettle Afghans and repatriate Americans from Afghanistan, very few arrivals have tested positive for COVID-19, Northam Administration officials said in a press call Friday.

“If people are saying that this mission is bringing COVID to the United States, it's just simply not true,” Governor Ralph Northam said.

At least 6,000 Afghans have arrived in Virginia, mostly through Dulles airport. Virginia agencies have been providing help to 275 people that need help with travel arrangements or short-term cash assistance, Northam said.

Much of the help offered by state agencies is at Dulles airport, which is the main point of entry for thousands of Americans and Afghans being evacuated.

Counties like Fairfax and Loudoun are also providing assistance with quarantining people who have tested positive for Covid-19. Northam said less than 20 people have tested positive since the mission began 11 days ago. He said there were four positive cases out of 3,000 COVID-19 tests reported Friday.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency asked Virginia to set up mass vaccination sites for those coming into the US. Managing the sites has been a federal effort, administration officials said, though the number of people utilizing the sites have been small.

Northam said it was important to consider the circumstances in which people had to come to the US

“These people are just coming out of a war zone. They're landing in a new country. So I think a lot of it is going to be educational and trust. I don't think this is something that you just automatically want to say, ‘you need to get a shot,’” Northam said. “We're trying to handle some of these individuals with respect and I'd call it kid gloves.”

This weekend more Virginia military facilities will open to evacuees from Afghanistan. People are expected to arrive at Fort Pickett on Saturday, and the Marine Corps base at Quantico on Sunday.

Northam said the two bases can host just under 5,000 people but could be scaled up to house 15,000. Fort Lee was also hosting Afghans as they finalized their immigration process through Special Immigrant Visas. The facility near Petersburg can host 1,750 people.

Northam also issued a statement after an explosion killed 170 people at Kabul airport. The attack killed 13 US service members.

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.

Jahd Khalil is a reporter and producer in Richmond.
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