LONG ISLAND, N.Y. — On Wednesday, Nassau County health officials issued a health advisory on the outbreak of COVID-19, better known as coronavirus.
While health officials announced there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nassau County, 83 people are currently being monitored for possible exposure to the illness.
As the number of confirmed cases grows worldwide, Nassau County’s Commissioner of Health, Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein, reiterated the fact that COVID-19 is still a new virus and health officials “still don’t have answers.”
Long Island health officials have been working day and night and currently have a procedure in place and announced precautions they are taking to prepare for the illness.
As airplanes come into the United States, authorities are notified if anyone coming into Nassau County may have potential exposure to the virus or may have been to mainland China within the last 14 days. Then, health officials reach out to those people and interview them, validating whether or not they pose a risk — each done on a case-by-case basis.
To date, 320 names were flagged to authorities, and about 175 of those people experienced a partial time where they were removed from public contact.
About 83 people are currently removed from contact and being monitored for potential exposure, according to Eisenstein.
As concerns grow, Eisenstein reminded everyone to practice precautionary measures to keep from spreading to catching illnesses, including washing hands, using hand sanitizers and staying home when sick.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Westchester County officials and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont are also expected to make announcements regarding coronavirus Wednesday afternoon. President Donald Trump will issue a statement of his own at 6 p.m. ET.
Health officials said any new information will be updated on the CDC website.
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This story was originally published by Kristine Garcia on WPIX in New York.
