WWU residence hall work on hold as construction worker tests positive for coronavirus
A construction worker helping to build Western Washington University’s new residence hall has tested positive for COVID-19, the university announced Friday afternoon, March 13.
The contract worker, who lives in Snohomish County, had been commuting to Bellingham to work at the construction site, located where Highland Hall and Highland Lounge used to be.
The worker is in self-isolation at home, as are three WWU employees who regularly interacted with workers at the site, according to a university release.
Work at the construction site is temporarily on hold.
University officials said they are working closely with the Whatcom County Health Department to identify close contacts who may have been exposed to the worker who tested positive.
Close contacts will be told to self-quarantine.
People who have been exposed and have symptoms will be able to be tested for the novel coronavirus, according to the university.
WWU officials believe, for now, that any exposure that may have occurred on campus was limited to the fenced construction site.
You’re a close contact if you:
▪ Live in the same home as someone with COVID-19.
▪ Care for those with the disease.
▪ Were within six feet for about 10 minutes with someone with COVID-19.
▪ Kissed, shared utensils or were coughed on by someone who was sick with it.
COVID-19 in Whatcom County
Whatcom County confirmed its first case of novel coronavirus Tuesday, March 10. The county declared a public health emergency that same day.
On Thursday, March 12, the Lummi Indian Business Council announced that one of its employees, who lives in King County and is not a tribal member, tested positive for COVID-19.
Also on Thursday, the city of Bellingham declared a local emergency.
More than 141,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 5,300 deaths as of Friday afternoon, according ncov2019.live/data.
The United States has more than 1,600 confirmed cases, with at least 41 deaths — most of them in Washington state, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So far, COVID-19 has spread to at least 46 states in the U.S. and the District of Columbia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Washington State Department of Health reported 37 deaths and 568 confirmed cases in the state as of Friday afternoon. A total of 32 people have died of COVID-19 in King County, four in Snohomish County, and one in Grant County.
So far, confirmed cases have been found in 15 counties — Clark, Columbia, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston, Whatcom and Yakima counties. The list also includes cases that are unassigned to counties.
About coronavirus
COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019, is the name of the illness that first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, before spreading to other countries, including the U.S. It is caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2.
The disease is spread through contact between people within six feet of each other — what’s referred to as close contact — especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby.
The CDC says it’s possible to catch COVID-19 by touching something that has the virus on it, and then touching your own face, “but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
Symptoms — cough, fever, difficulty breathing — may occur two days to two weeks after exposure. Although most of the cases have been mild, the disease is especially dangerous for the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
Stay informed
▪ https://whatcomcounty.us/ncov. Email general questions about COVID-19 in Whatcom County to covid@co.whatcom.wa.us.
▪ doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus. Call a hotline at 1-800-525-0127 for questions about what is happening in Washington state, how the virus spreads, and what to do if you have symptoms. Phone lines are staffed 6 a.m. to 10 p.m, seven days a week.
▪ cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
▪ cob.org/services/safety/emergencies/Pages/covid-19.aspx
▪ https://www.lummi-nsn.gov/Website.php?PageID=215
This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 1:53 PM.
