Shelby County Health Department
There are still no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Shelby County, but health officials said late Friday that 20 people who have recently returned to Shelby County from China have been monitored.
Nine of those monitored have completed the 14-day isolation period prescribed by the Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) and health officials across the country. None of the Shelby County travelers had visited the Hubei Province of China where the outbreak of coronavirus — now called COVID-19 — began.
Here is the SCHD’s full statement on the situation:
As a part of the global public health response to the novel coronavirus outbreak known as COVID-19, the Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) has been monitoring 20 travelers recently returned to Shelby County from countries impacted by the outbreak.
None of the monitored travelers were in the Hubei Province of China where the outbreak began, and none had reported symptoms when they returned to the United States. However, they were asked to stay at home and limit contact with other people for 14 days after their return to the United States. SCHD personnel check in with the travelers at regular intervals to make sure they have not developed any symptoms.
There is nothing unique about the returned travelers in Shelby County. Travelers around the country who recently returned from China have also been asked to observe 14 days of social isolation.
Today, nine of the returned travelers in Shelby County completed the 14-day period. None reported any symptoms that would indicate COVID-19 infection. The Health Department will continue to monitor the other 11 travelers until they complete the 14-day period.
Additionally, the SCHD receives weekly reports from emergency rooms and health care providers throughout Shelby County in order to be alerted to any unusual cluster of symptoms that could indicate an outbreak. That information is then used to develop local interventions to protect the public.
There are no cases of COVID-19 in the Mid-South region, including Tennessee and Shelby County. If a case is detected, the Shelby County Health Department and its public health partners stand ready to take appropriate action.
