New coronavirus cases reported in Massachusetts
Two new presumptive positive cases of the highly contagious coronavirus have been reported in the Bay State, health officials announced on Thursday, raising the state’s count to one confirmed and three possible cases, forcing more people who were in contact to stay home.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed a new presumptive positive case of coronavirus, a woman in her 60s who lives in Middlesex County and recently traveled to northern Italy. She did not require hospitalization and is recovering at home.
South Shore Health also confirmed a presumptive positive case of coronavirus at Norwell’s South Shore Medical Center. Four hospital employees who were in contact with the patient will stay home for two weeks, the medical center said.
The Middlesex County and South Shore presumptive cases come on top of a Norfolk County presumptive case, a woman who had traveled from Italy, and the confirmed case of a UMass Boston student who traveled from Wuhan, China.
Also on Thursday, the Cambridge-based company Biogen announced that three employees who visited Boston last week have tested positive for coronavirus.
Biogen said in a statement, “In an abundance of caution, all meeting attendees, with or without flu-like symptoms, have been directed to work from home for two weeks.”
Some local schools are also closing their doors because of coronavirus concerns, and Boston Logan International Airport and the MBTA are stepping up their cleaning efforts.
The Tennessee Department of Health said that state’s first confirmed coronavirus patient had flown from Boston to Nashville about five days ago, was “asymptomatic while traveling,” and is now home with a mild case.
Massachusetts DPH said in a statement that it’s “working with Tennessee health officials and the Boston Public Health Commission to identify his close contacts.”
Logan Airport has brought in extra cleaning staff to “focus on disinfecting high traffic touch points throughout the terminals, walkways and garage facilities including the Ride-App areas,” Massport said in a statement.
Logan has also installed additional hand sanitizer dispensers and “implemented protocol for enhanced cleaning/disinfecting touch points throughout the terminals, including handrails, door handles, elevator call buttons, escalator handrails, hold-room seating, baby changing areas, kid-port equipment.”
Plymouth Public Schools said it will be closed on Friday to “disinfect all potential surfaces that occupants would come into contact with.”
And in Malden, Mystic Valley Charter School will cancel classes next week because of coronavirus concerns.
“We have become increasingly concerned that transmission among school-aged children could be a significant risk factor, not for the young people themselves, but for family members, especially those with pre-existing health conditions or the elderly,” Superintendent Alex Dan said in a statement.
The Lowell Sun’s Luke O’Roark contributed to this report.
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3ayV11M
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