Their mission was straightforward — to monitor and coordinate the evacuation of hundreds of Americans from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.

But the logistics were in­cred­ibly complicated. The assembled task force included officers from the Bureau of Consular Affairs to check manifests and passports, China desk hands to communicate with authorities in Wuhan, liaisons from the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services to check manifests and track the flights — and, above all, specialists from the State Department’s special crisis medicine unit who kept in touch with health professionals aboard planes as they screened passengers and monitored their conditions…

Some Americans stranded in Wuhan have criticized the U.S. response, saying they found it difficult to sign up for the flights or learn when the next one would leave. Others complained about the approximately $1,000 they have to pay for each seat, saying the price is prohibitively expensive for families. Once back in the United States, many will face 14 days of quarantine on a military base before they can go home.