SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Officials say a woman who was released from quarantine in San Antonio was brought back into isolation after officials discovered she had tested positive for the new coronavirus.
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Health officials announced Sunday that the woman may have exposed up to a dozen people at a local hotel before she was brought back into isolation.
The CDC says the woman had come to San Antonio last month from Wuhan, China, and tested negative twice for the illness before her release Saturday.
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The CDC says it's possible the positive test detected pieces of dead virus, which would not be transmissible.
During a press conference Monday, a spokesperson with the Metropolitan Health District said the patient checked into a Holiday Inn located near San Antonio International Airport. The patient additionally visited North Star Mall in San Antonio. Mall officials were urged to conduct a deep cleaning and disinfection. Although the patient didn't spend a great deal of time at the mall, she did visit the food court.
The mall was briefly closed Monday in order to accommodate the cleaning.
During that same press briefing, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said patients slated for release should be tested again and kept in quarantine until results are available.
Also on March 2, Nirenberg's office declared a public health emergency concerning coronavirus. The declaration will prevent the immediate release of quarantined cruise ship evacuees. Nirenberg says all passengers must now test negative for the virus three times before they can be released.
Local and state officials criticized the CDC for releasing the patient.