Fourteen Princeton residents who attended a party on Feb. 29 in Princeton and who were exposed to the coronavirus have been advised to self-quarantine for the immediate future, Princeton Health Department officials said.
The 14 residents are being followed to see if they develop signs and symptoms of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, Princeton Health Officer Jeffrey Grosser said. Symptoms include cough, fever and shortness of breath.
Nine of the 14 Princeton residents who attended the party have already complained of one or more symptoms of COVID-19 and they are being evaluated, Grosser said.
In addition, three Pennsylvania residents who attended the same party have presumptively tested positive for COVID-19, Grosser said. The test results are pending confirmation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Pennsylvania residents were among the 47 guests at the party, which also included two people from Massachusetts who attended the Biogen conference in Boston and who also tested positive for COVID-19, Grosser said. The conference has been linked to the COVID-19 transmission.
In the meantime, practicing basic hygiene infection control on a daily basis can help to stop the spread of COVID-19. Those practices include washing one’s hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, and avoiding touching one’s eyes, nose and mouth.
Avoiding close contact with persons who are sick and staying home when you are sick also would help stop COVID-19 and other diseases from spreading, Princeton Health Department officials said.
Other practices include covering one’s mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.and then tossing away the tissue. Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces is a good practice.
