Health officials in Long Island said another 30 people are being monitored for potential exposure for the new coronavirus — bringing a total of more than 100 residents under watch amid the deadly health crisis.
The Suffolk County Department of Health Services said Thursday that 30 people from 23 households are being monitored after recently returning from China, where the outbreak occurred in December.
“At this time, there are no individuals with symptoms, confirmed cases, or patients under investigation in Suffolk County,” the department said in a statement.
The news comes after neighboring Nassau County announced that 83 residents were asked to enter a quarantine over concerns that they might have the virus.
Though they’ve shown no symptoms, the Suffolk group has also been asked to voluntarily isolate themselves for two weeks, Newsday reported.
Incoming Health Commissioner Gregson Pigott said the agency regularly checks in with them to see if they are experiencing any symptoms.
There have been no suspected cases in the county since the disease emerged in China, he said.
“At this point, you should be more concerned about the common cold or flu virus,” Pigott said.
The virus, known as COVID-19, has infected more than 82,000 people across the world and killed at least 2,800 people.
There are now 60 confirmed coronavirus cases in the US — including 45 people who were evacuated from an infected cruise ship in Japan or the outbreak’s epicenter in China.
Symptoms of the flu-like virus include a fever, cough and shortness of breath.
With Post wires