First Case Of Coronavirus Found In Chester County

WEST CHESTER, PA — The first presumptive positive case of coronavirus in Chester County was discovered early Friday afternoon, officials said during a press conference. County government is now moving to "mission essential" activity only, and residents are being urged to avoid crowded public places like gyms and entertainment venues whenever possible.

The infected individual is a 57-year-old woman who caught the virus from another infected person outside of Pennsylvania. She is "doing well" and recovering, authorities said, and is currently in isolation under a directive from the county.

The news broke at almost the same moment that Gov. Wolf ordered on Friday that all K-12 schools in Pennsylvania shut down for the next two weeks.

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The rest of the infected individual's family is in self-quarantine. Officials are working to identify and notify any individuals who the woman may have come into contact with so that they can go into quarantine.

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"Chester County will do everything that we can to try to keep our confirmed, or possibly even cases, low," Chester County Board of Commissioners chair Marian Moskowitz said. "And this includes supporting, in Governor Wolf's own words, the 'drastic but neccessary measures' that will slow the spread of COVID-19."

In addition, the county is moving to their highest level of preparedness, closing down all non-essential functions and continuing with only "mission essential services."

This means that a no visitor policy has been implemented at Chester County Prison, long-term care facilities, and elsewhere. Additional precautions have been to test all prison employees before each shift, and questioning visitors to the Chester County Youth Center.

Unlike Montgomery County, Chester County is not mandating that all community centers and entertainment facilities shut down, but they are strongly recommending it, and are discouraging residents from going to gyms, retail stores, and businesses. They're also urging residents to avoid any large gatherings.

The measurements are being put into place for two weeks, the same length of time that Gov. Wolf ordered all schools to shut down.

State Sen. Andy Dinniman (D-Chester) said that school officials were urging the state to mandate the closure of all schools.

"It would be beneficial to consider closing Chester County schools as well,” George Fiore, executive director of the Chester County Intermediate Unit, spoke on behalf of school district superintendents across Chester County. "Anything you can do to mandate the closure of Chester County before an outbreak would be strongly supported and welcomed.”

Dinniman said he applauded the measure.

"COVID-19 does not stop at school district, county, or state borders," he said. "We have received calls from parents, teachers, and Superintendents across our district and the state. The time to act is now, and I am glad the governor did so."

Dinniman added that he plans to introduce on Monday two bills to aid school districts in responding to coronavirus. The bills call for a cancellation of state PSSA and Keystone exams, as they could produce invalid results given the circumstances. The bills would also allow school districts to move ahead with online learning if they wish to remain closed following the March 29 date currently mandated by Gov. Wolf.

Though Friday afternoon marks the first case of coronavirus in Chester County, officials did announce Thursday that six Chester County law enforcement officers had been recently exposed. The officers are now in self-quarantine after being in direct contact with the Lower Providence police officer who tested positive for the virus. The contact was made when responding to a call of a bomb threat on Sunday in West Goshen.

Nearby Montgomery County has been the epicenter of the virus in Pennsylvania with 17 of the state's 33 confirmed positive cases.

The number of cases of the illness continue to rise nationwide, and additional school closures are being announced. The World Health Organization on Wednesday officially declared the outbreak a pandemic.

>>>Go here for all Pennsylvania coronavirus updates.