Head of Massachusetts Department of Public Health diagnosed with coronavirus

By | March 28, 2020

The commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has tested positive for COVID-19.

Commissioner Monica Bharel said she was tested for the virus Thursday and received the results Friday. She said she is experiencing mild symptoms.

“I want to notify the public that I have tested positive for COVID-19,” Bharel said in a statement. “As the public health commissioner and an essential state employee, I have been vigilant about practicing social distancing from my colleagues and members of the public. My symptoms so far have been mild.”

“I have notified my appropriate close contacts and will rest and recuperate at home while continuing to carry out my work responsibilities remotely,” she continued. “The Department of Public Health offices will be thoroughly cleaned over the weekend.”

Massachusetts has had more than 3,200 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to a New York Times tracker.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority took a train out of service on Friday out of an abundance of caution after a passenger spotted a man allegedly licking the train.

Other public figures across the country and the world have tested positive for COVID-19. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was diagnosed with the illness on Friday, as were two U.S. congressmen, a Democrat from South Carolina and a Republican from Pennsylvania. Prince Albert II was the first head of state to test positive for the coronavirus last week.

Worldwide, there have been more than 591,000 cases of the COVID-19 virus, about 131,000 recoveries, and almost 27,000 deaths, according to the latest reading by the Johns Hopkins University tracker.

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