A Springfield resident who recently returned from Europe is the second person in Missouri to test “presumptive positive” for COVID-19, officials said Thursday.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson made the announcement at a press conference in Springfield with local officials.
“The case is a travel-related case. The patient is an individual in their 20s from Springfield who had recently traveled to Austria,” Parson said.
Parson said the patient went to a CoxHealth facility that was not a hospital.
Springfield-Greene County Health Department Director Clay Goddard said local health officials are reaching out to anyone the patient may have been in close contact with.
Moments after the announcement was made, Missouri State University sent a campus-wide alert cancelling classes for Friday.
“We have been informed that the person is not a member of the campus community,” the MSU electronic update read.
This is the first presumptive case of COVID-19 in the Ozarks region.
Several days ago, a woman in St. Louis County also tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Springfield-Greene County Health Department officals this week advised adults ages 60 and older to stay home as much as possible and to avoid crowds. Those guidelines also apply to people with diabetes, cancer, or heart and lung disease, officials said.
