Special Recreation Participant Tests Positive For Coronavirus

NEW LENOX, IL — An individual who is associated with and participated in several Lincolnway Special Recreation Association events has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a letter from Executive Director Keith Wallace.

According to the letter, this person participated in Shamrock Shuffle on March 6, the Chicago Wolves game on March 8, and Thunderbowl on March 9.

"We are working closely with the CDC, IDPH, and/or local health departments regarding guidance, as well as cleaning and disinfecting surfaces at the facility with which this individual had contact," Wallace said in the letter. "We will be working with staff to take appropriate action to limit the risk of community spread."

The Lincolnway Special Recreation Association has canceled all programming through April 5. The LWSRA office and Recreation Center will be closed and administrative staff will be working remotely through March 30.

The association was also set to be a polling place, but voting has been relocated to Peace Lutheran Church, 1900 E. Lincoln Highway in New Lenox.

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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.

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