Nassau County Monitoring Dozens For Coronavirus

MINEOLA, NY — Nassau County is monitoring dozens of people who may have been exposed to the new coronavirus. Officials said Wednesday 83 people were possibly exposed to the COVID-19 virus, which is caused by a member of the coronavirus family. It's a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past.

"The health department prepares for this sort of thing all year round," Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said at a news conference Wednesday. "We have a medical reserve corps of volunteers and medical professionals — a thousand of them — who are ready for any kind of situation that needs their attention."

While dozens are under watch, officials stressed there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Nassau County. As part of the county's preparedness plan, Curran said the office of emergency management planned to coordinate supplies and resources as needed with state partners.

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"We have been following guidance from our state and federal government," Nassau County Health Commissioner Lawrence Eisentein said. "This is a brand new virus to us. We are learning new things every day."

Eisentien said the federal Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention sent his department a list of people arriving in the county who were in mainland China within the last two weeks. Within 24 hours of receiving the list of names, his departments contact the people, confirm they’ve recently been to mainland China, and ask them to temporarily isolate themselves from others, including family members.

"To date on these lists, we've received approximately 320 names since the program started a few weeks backs," Eisentein said. "There have been a total of 175 or so people who at least experienced partial time where they were removed from contacting other people."

For those who've traveled to mainland China and returned to Nassau County, county health officials said isolation typically lasts 12 to 14 days.

"We check in with them every day for their temperature, and we deliver a thermometer to them if they don’t have one. They’re in communication with us," Eisentien said. "We discuss with them the importance of them voluntarily complying with removing themselves with contact with other people."

As county officials continue to prepare for the coronavirus, they are reminding everyone to practice good hygiene.

"Wash your hands with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer. If you’re sneezing or coughing, cover your mouth. If you’re not feeling well, please stay home from work, stay home from school, go to the doctor," Curran stressed.

As Patch previously reported, fears over the deadly virus have hurt Asian-American restaurants and businesses on the island, which have seen customer traffic plummet in recent weeks. More than a dozen businesses throughout Long Island, including in Great Neck, recently told state Sen. Anna Kaplan they've seen sales fall. In some cases, business has declined as much as 40 percent to 70 percent. This includes restaurants and even a children's day care.

Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseasel, on Tuesday warned it's only a matter of time before the new coronavirus spreads to communities across the United States, including New York. A total of 27 people have been investigated across the state, none have come back positive, though the results of one was pending.

Communities, schools and businesses around the country should begin preparing now for "the expectation that this could be bad," Messonnier said.