Coronavirus: Family Member Of Salon Employee Tests Positive

LEMONT, IL — A family member of a salon worker at Jeffrey LaMorte Salon and Day Spa in Lemont has tested positive for the coronavirus, the business shared on Facebook.

"As soon as we heard the employee's family member was being tested [on Sunday], we authorized as per recent guidelines, that employee to stay home," the business said.

The Lemont salon, as well as the Frankfort and Orland Park locations, are now closed for the next two weeks until April 1.

The employee was not exhibiting symptoms, but due to positive test in their family member, they have also been tested and are waiting for results. The salon said if the test comes back positive, they will let clients from the last two weeks know.

The salon said receptionists will be available through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to take phone calls and reschedule appointments.

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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 SARS-Cov-2, 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, the illness caused by SARS-Cov-2, struck the U.S. on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now being spread 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 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, and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.