55 Now Positive For Coronavirus In Montgomery County

NORRISTOWN, PA — Thirteen new cases of coronavirus were found in Montgomery County on Thursday, the day after local officials confirmed community spread of the virus. There were 55 confirmed cases of the virus in the county and 185 in the state as of Thursday evening.

Twelve of the newly discovered infected individuals are at home and being isolated. One of them, a 72-year-old man from Cheltenham, has been hospitalized.

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More than 500 individuals were in quarantine around the county as of Wednesday morning after being potentially exposed to the virus. Because community spread of the disease has begun (the source of infection for individuals cannot be traced), the county is no longer doing contact tracing, and the number of quarantined individuals is not being counted.

Early Thursday evening, Gov. Wolf ordered a shut down of all "non-life-sustaining" businesses across Pennsylvania beginning Saturday. Violators could face fines or even imprisonment.

Two children, a two-year-old girl from New Hanover and a one-year-old boy from Royersford, have tested positive.

Here's the breakdown of cases across the county as of Thursday evening:

• Lower Providence: 10
• Lower Merion: 9
• Lower Moreland: 4
• Worcester: 4
• Lower Moreland: 4
• Perkiomen: 3
• Cheltenham: 3
• East Norriton: 2
• Upper Merion: 2
• Lower Gwynedd: 2
• Collegeville: 2
• Springfield: 1
• Plymouth: 1
• Lower Salford: 1
• Limerick: 1
• Douglass: 1
• New Hanover: 1
• Royersford: 1
• Lower Pottsgrove: 1
• Conshohocken: 1
• Montgomery: 1

Montgomery County did not provide an update on the condition of any of the previous announced cases. There are multiple hospitalizations. At least one of them, the Upper Merion man and CHOP cardiologist who exposed dozens to the virus, is in critical condition.

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