SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Officials in the San Francisco Bay Area say a man has tested positive for the coronavirus, the first case in Northern California of new pneumonia-like virus .
The Santa Clara County Public Health Department says the man was likely exposed to the virus while traveling in Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak in China, and became ill after returning to California on January 24. They say he was never sick enough to be hospitalized and “self isolated” by staying home.
Nonetheless, officials are trying to reach the few people he may have come into contact with since his return to assess whether they were exposed to the virus.
According to ABC7 in the Bay Area, the Santa Clara case is the seventh confirmed case of the virus in the United States.
The United States has declared a public health emergency because of a new virus that hit China and has spread to other nations.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar also announced that President Donald Trump will temporarily bar entry to the U.S. of foreign nationals believed to be a risk of transmitting the virus.
The new restrictions begin Sunday.
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Americans returning from central China’s Hubei province, the center of the outbreak, will be required to undergo 14 days of quarantine. Others returning from elsewhere in China will be allowed to self-monitor their condition for a similar period.
The Trump administration declared the public health emergency over the coronavirus Friday afternoon.
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