Monroe County Executive Adam Bello announced Saturday afternoon that all 22 public school districts in Monroe County will close beginning on Monday, March 16 and remain closed until further notice.
The announcement follows Bello's declaration of a state of emergency Saturday morning and the news that all schools in the Greece school district would close.
The moves are in response to the second confirmed case of COVID-19 coronavirus in Monroe County.
The latest patient has been described as a woman in her 60s who is an employee at Greece Arcadia Middle School. She is currently hospitalized in stable condition at Unity Hospital.
Monroe County Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Mendoza says a test confirmed the woman's case of the virus late Friday night. Dr. Mendoza says the woman began experiencing symptoms on March 4 and went to work at Greece Arcadia on March 5 and 6. The woman also attended a service at St. Josaphat's Ukrainian Catholic Church on March 1.
Dr. Mendoza confirms the woman had no contact with the students that are quarantined on the SUNY Brockport Campus or with the one other person who has been confirmed to have coronavirus in Monroe County.
Mendoza says health officials have not been able to trace the woman's contraction of the virus to any foreign travel and they believe this is the county's first case of local transmission.
Health officials are currently working to trace the contact the woman has had with other individuals to determine whether she may have spread the virus.
During a news conference Saturday morning, Dr. Mendoza recommended Arcadia Middle School be closed as a result of the latest case of the virus, however, officials in the Greece Central School District decided to close all schools in the district until further notice.
County Executive Bello's announcement Saturday afternoon now closes all schools in the county, including the Greece district.
Students, staff, and teachers at Greece Arcadia have been asked to monitor themselves for symptoms until March 20, which is two weeks from the last day that the woman with coronavirus was at work in that building.
Health officials are asking anyone who believes they may have symptoms of the virus to avoid going to the emergency room unless they need immediate medical attention. You are asked to call your doctor with your concerns first and follow their recommendations.
The YMCA of Greater Rochester is suspending its operations at all locations until further notice effective Sunday, following the direction of the Monroe County Department of Public Health and Monroe County Executive.