School Employee Among 2 Positive Coronavirus Cases In Morris Co.

MORRISTOWN, NJ - The Town of Morristown is working to notify parents and employees of a positive case of novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, in a Morris County resident who works at the Shalom Yeladim Nursery School, according to officials.

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Children and employees are asked to stay home and self-isolate for 14 days. Persons who develop symptoms are urged to call their healthcare provider. The building has been closed to permit for cleaning and disinfection in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.

“I’m saddened to hear that this serious disease has now affected members of our immediate community,” said Morristown Mayor Timothy Dougherty. “The impact on these families and this house of worship should remind us that we cannot anticipate how this virus might directly impact anyone. We remind everyone to heed the recommendations of our health officials by taking precautions and practicing social distancing.”

In Friday's briefing, Department of Health Commissioner Judith M. Persichilli said there were 21 new cases in New Jersey, including Morris County's two positive cases. A 51-year-old Butler man was exposed to coronavirus and that the man was hospitalized at Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains.

Persichilli described the risk to Morris County residents as none to minimal. Persichilli said 80 cases were under investigation at the state lab. She said they are not aware of the number being tested in the commercial labs or hospital labs.

Counting the new cases Friday, there have been 50 people diagnosed with presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey as of Thursday afternoon, with one person dying from the disease. Gov. Phil Murphy has declared a state of emergency, and schools across the state have begun to cancel classes. READ MORE: NJ Coronavirus Updates (Here's What You Need To Know)
In general – depending on where they live – New Jersey residents still face a "low risk" of contracting COVID-19, State Epidemiologist Christina Tan said during a Wednesday press conference.

There have been more than 1,300 confirmed U.S. cases of the new coronavirus as of Thursday morning according to Johns Hopkins University, which said the disease also has killed 38 people nationwide.

• See related article: $8B To Fight Coronavirus; NJ Lawmakers Back Huge Spending Bill

WHAT IS COVID-19?

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

The CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a face mask to protect themselves from respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19. You should only wear a mask if a health care professional recommends it. A face mask should be used by people who have COVID-19 and are showing symptoms. This is to protect others from the risk of getting infected. The use of face masks also is crucial for health workers and other people who are taking care of someone infected with COVID-19 in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).

Residents who have questions about the virus can contact the State of New Jersey's hotline at 1 (800) 222-1222. The hotline is home of the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System, and is staffed 24 hours a day by state health workers.

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