New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said on Friday, March 6, that a Bach Choir member in New Haven has been asked to self-isolate and being exposed by a person with coronavirus in London. The person is one of 200 in Connecticut.
Though the person has been asked to enter a 14-day quarantine, as per health officials recommendations, Elicker noted that no symptoms of coronavirus have been displayed.
"The person is not symptomatic of the virus, and is self-isolating as a precautionary measure,” the mayor said. “Due to privacy concerns, the City is not releasing the details of this person of interest, but we assure the public that we will let them know should anything change.”
New Haven officials said they are in direct contact with the choir member and with the State Department of Health and will continue to monitor the individual daily.
According to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, the Connecticut Department of Public Health state laboratory has conducted 18 tests on Connecticut residents for coronavirus. To date, 13 have come back negative. Within the last hour, one test came back negative that had previously been inconclusive.
“While the individual is showing no symptoms of the disease, given the individual’s contact history, they have been asked to self-isolate in New Haven and are doing so,” New Haven officials said in a statement. “The city is in direct contact with the individual and with the State Department of Health and will continue to monitor the individual daily.”
As of March 6, there have been 100,776 confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide, leading to 3,412 deaths. There have been 237 positive tests in the United States.
"This epidemic can be pushed back, but only with a collective, coordinated and comprehensive approach that engages the entire machinery of government," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom said. "We are calling on every country to act with speed, scale, and clear-minded determination.
"Although we continue to see the majority of cases in a handful of countries, we are deeply concerned about the increasing number of countries reporting cases, especially those with weaker health systems. However, this epidemic is a threat to every country, rich and poor. As we have said before, even high-income countries should expect surprises. The solution is aggressive preparedness."
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