Harford Woman With New Coronavirus Traveled In Turkey: Gov. Hogan

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — The Harford County woman who tested positive for the novel coronavirus remains hospitalized Monday, according to officials. State and local officials provided updates on the case of coronavirus linked to the 86-year-old woman, who is one of five people to test positive for the illness in Maryland.

The Harford County woman became ill with the novel coronavirus after a trip to Turkey, according to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.

"This appears to be the first case of COVID-19 anywhere in the world to be associated with travel to Turkey," Hogan said at a news conference Monday afternoon.

Local leaders told the public to continue to take precautions like hand washing. Activities will continue as scheduled in Harford County; however, in the school system, awards for perfect attendance have been suspended to encourage people to stay home if they are sick.

"Right now it is important for everyone to stay calm and stay informed," Harford County Executive Barry Glassman said at a news conference Monday afternoon in Bel Air. "There appears to be no community exposure from this case."

Said Glassman: "At this time, we do not have any recommendations for schedule changes or community closures based on this case. We will be operating as we normally do in Harford County."

Officials said the community does not seem to be at risk.

"There appears to be no major exposure to the community," Harford County Health Officer Russell W. Moy said. "This person went straight from the airport to home."

Her symptoms did not develop until six days after she returned, according to Moy, who said: "She had no symptoms while she was on the plane."

When she did begin to feel ill, she initially had loss of appetite and fatigue, rather than fever or any respiratory symptoms. It is unclear whether she has since developed these.

"The reason I said 'initially' is because I do not have any additional information about the patient's condition at this time," Moy later told Patch, adding he did not want to assume anything.

For six days after she returned home, the woman told authorities she did not go out in public.

"The patient states she did not leave her house and did not come into contact with people except for her immediate family, who have shown no symptoms and who are being asked to self-isolate and self-monitor for 14 days," Moy said.

Two people were in the household with the woman who has tested positive for COVID-19, according to Moy, who said her family drove her to the hospital.

He said he was not at liberty to talk about which hospital was treating her and would not provide any additional identifying information. Moy said much of the county's information was secondhand from the Maryland Department of Health, which is the lead investigating agency.

Harford County Public Schools, which issued a statement Sunday night urging those to stay home if they have a fever of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or greater, echoed its guidance.

Harford County Public Schools Superintendent Sean Bulson also said administrators have stopped programs that award people for perfect attendance, in an effort to encourage students to stay home when they are sick. Otherwise, schools and events are proceeding as usual.

"We do not have plans to close schools or cancel activities at this time," Bulson said. He noted schools have been asked not to add any new activities to their calendars.

Because of the new coronavirus, he said the school system had been fielding lots of inquiries from the public.

"We are logging those questions and concerns and will be addressing them all in time," Bulson said, adding that he held a conference call with principals and senior leadership Monday morning.

The biggest concern from parents, he said, was that students needed opportunities to wash their hands. He encouraged students to wash their hands both before and after lunch. He said principals and staff were directed "to not only have very clear plans about that but also to communicate that."

The Harford County Health Department issued these recommendations for staying healthy:

• Wash hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
  • If soap and water are unavailable, use hand sanitizer that is at least 60 percent alcohol.
• Cover sneezes and coughs with a tissue, sleeve or elbow.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.
• Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces that are touched often.
• Avoid being in close contact with those who are sick.

Watch the news conference in Harford County here.

This story may be updated.

See Also:

• HCPS After Coronavirus In Harford: Stay Home If You Have A Fever
• 2 New Coronavirus Cases In Maryland: Governor Hogan
• Coronavirus Exposure Possible At National Harbor Conference
• 3 Have New Coronavirus; MD Governor Declares State Of Emergency
• MD Coronavirus Patients Were At 2 Public Events, Hogan Concerned
• Coronavirus Testing Costs Waived In Maryland