SEATTLE, Wash. – A part-time employee who worked at an XFL game at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field on Feb. 22 has tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
King County made the announced Thursday, adding that the risk of contracting the virus is low for fans who attended the Seattle Dragons game against the Dallas Renegades.
As of now, officials say the city’s professional sports organizations – the Dragons, Seahawks, Mariners, Sounders FC – will continue with scheduled events.
However, public health officials are urging people who are sick or at a higher risk of severe illness to stay home and away from larger groups of people as much as possible. That includes people over 60, those with underlying health conditions or weakened immune systems, and pregnant women.
Officials say they’re working with the employee diagnosed with COVID-19 to evaluate potential exposures at the Feb. 22 game.
“Public Health is following up with a few co-workers with close contacts of the employee at the February 22 game to provide guidance on appropriate precautions,” wrote officials in a press release.
The Seattle area has seen the most COVID-19 deaths of any community in the United States as of Thursday night, 10 deaths in King County and one in Snohomish County. Most of the deceased were residents of a nearby nursing home and had underlying health issues. At least 70 people have been diagnosed with the virus in the state.
Worldwide, more than 98,000 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and over 3,000 have died from it, with a majority of the deaths in mainland China, where the virus is believed to have originated, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins.
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