Introduction:

On December 31, 2019, the World Health Organization was informed of a group of cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology detected in the city of Wuhan (China). On January 30, 2020, the nCoV-2019 outbreak (later SARS-CoV-2) was declared a public health emergency of international concern. In this context, some western countries decided to evacuate their citizens.

Aim:

This article describes the approach taken in the case of people evacuated from Wuhan upon arrival in Spain.

Methods:

Information was collected on the criteria for selecting facilities and personnel, the number of quarantine cases, the infection control strategy, the duration of quarantine, clinical monitoring, and other relevant aspects.

Results:

The Spanish health authorities selected the Gómez Ulla Central Defense Hospital to carry out a hospital quarantine. Twenty-one people were transferred from Wuhan to Madrid, including two children. Preventive medicine and infectious disease physicians were selected to direct and assist surveillance. The visits were authorized following an established protocol.

Conclusions:

This is the first hospital quarantine report for SARS-CoV-2, designed specifically for returnees. Hospitalarian quarantine could be a useful method for selected cases of highly contagious diseases. However, good resource and facility support, selection of experienced staff, and revised protocols are required.