In California, three Transportation Security Administration officers at Mineta San Jose International Airport have tested positive for COVID-19, the agency said Tuesday.
They were receiving medical care and all TSA employees who had contact with them over the past 14 days are being quarantined at home, the agency said.
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At least 24 people have died in Washington from COVID-19, most in the Seattle metro area. Nineteen of the deaths are linked to one suburban Seattle nursing home and authorities in King County said the virus has spread to at least 10 long-term care facilities
Alarming clusters of the coronavirus have swelled on both coasts of the U.S., with more than 70 cases now tied to a biotech conference in Boston and infections turning up at 10 nursing homes in Seattle.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said three schools and other gathering places will be shut down for two weeks in a containment zone in New Rochelle, the epicenter of an outbreak of more than 100 cases. Officials said National Guard troops will help clean public spaces and deliver food to people quarantined at home in the zone, which extends a mile in all directions from a synagogue connected to some of the cases.
New Rochelle and surrounding Westchester County account for the majority of the state’s 173 coronavirus cases. New York City, with 100 times the population of New Rochelle, has 36 known infections.
On Wednesday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee will announce a ban on gatherings and events of more than 250 people in virtually the entire Seattle metro area to try to stop the spread of the outbreak, said a person involved in the planning of the decision. The ban would apply to sporting events like Seattle Mariners baseball and Seattle Sounders soccer games.
The order would not prohibit the operation of workplaces and is not expected to include school closures, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Santa Clara County in California, home to San Jose and Silicon Valley, on Monday announced a ban on all gatherings of 1,000 people or more.
The moves came as the battle to stop the virus from spreading intensified. More schools and universities sent students home, while conferences and other events were canceled. The United Nations announced it would close its New York headquarters to the public and suspend all tours. The Coachella music festival that draws tens of thousands to the California desert near Palm Springs every April was postponed until October. And one of the biggest resort operators in Las Vegas, MGM Resorts International, said it would close buffets at all of its Las Vegas Strip casinos as a precaution.
A top federal health official pointed to Europe, rather than the virus’ point of origin in China, as the likely source for the infection’s continued spread to the U.S.
For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. Most people recover in a matter of weeks, as has happened with three-quarters of those infected in China.