WHITE PLAINS – A total of eight people have undergone voluntary quarantine in their homes after they returned back to the US from areas of the world where coronavirus cases have occurred.
There have been no cases of the virus anywhere in New York State and Westchester Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler said Wednesday that the CDC has issued travel guidelines.
“Westchester County residents are being advised to avoid non-essential travel to both China and now South Korea, and that is given the number of cases that have occurred in these countries,” she said. “Older residents and those with chronic medical conditions should consider also avoiding travel to Iran, Japan and Italy.”
Dr. Amler and County Executive George Latimer said the county is taking all steps to prepare for a worst case scenario.
Amler said residents should wash their hands regularly like with any flu virus, wash surfaces with bleach, sneeze into their elbow and if they haven’t already, get a flu shot.
Latimer, who hadn’t been vaccinated this winter, rolled up his shirt sleeve and received a flu shot from Dr. Amler.
“Although there are currently no suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Orange County, we continue to monitor the situation closely,” said County Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman. “Our planning efforts in respect to COVID-19 have been ongoing for months and the county’s health department in conjunction with the Office of Emergency Management and community partners are working on risk mitigation strategies for residents.”
