A staff member at The Kensington Redondo Beach, an assisted living center, has been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, and according to a statement the company released Tuesday, March 17.

The staffer’s supervisor and two residents of the assisted living center are also displaying symptoms and have been sent for medical care, but are not confirmed to have the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, according to the statement.

COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019, is caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2. Symptoms associated with the respiratory disease, which appear two-to-14 days after exposure, include fever, a cough and shortness of breath. While most people — including healthy young adults — will experience mild symptoms, the disease can be severe and possibly fatal for at-risk groups, such as the elderly and those with other health problems.

In the Seattle metro area, around 20 deaths from coronavirus has been linked to one suburban nursing home, with the virus spreading to at least 10 long-term care facilities.

The employee who tested positive is on paid medical leave and is currently being treated at a local hospital.

“The staff member reported flu-like symptoms to her supervisor on March 6,” said Robert May, executive director of The Kensington Redondo Beach, “and was immediately sent home, in compliance with our guidelines.”

May said in the statement team members were writing up a history of the employee’s contact with residents and staff.

The two ill Kensington residents have been sent to the hospital with fever and respiratory symptoms, but there is no confirmed diagnosis, according to the statement.

The staffer’s supervisor, meanwhile, has flu-like symptoms and has been instructed to see her physician and self-quarantine, according to the statement.

The community has limited visitors and canceled all events and outings, per guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for health care facilities.

Family members have been prohibited from visiting with or from taking Kensington residents out into the community, May said, adding that all but urgent doctor’s appointments for residents have also been canceled.

“Our teams are getting creative and setting up virtual ways for residents and family members to connect in lieu of in-person visits,” May said. “They can arrange for these virtual visits through Facetime or video chats.”

In the statement, May said staff and residents had all been monitored prior to March 6, including testing staffers for fevers as they arrived for work. He also said the maintenance department is performing a deep clean of the unit where the infected employee worked.

May said Kensington would work closely with the Los Angeles County Department of Health for further direction.

Los Angeles County public health officials confirmed 50 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, lifting the county’s total to 144 confirmed cases. That total includes eight reported in Long Beach — three new cases on Tuesday — and two in Pasadena. In L.A. County, 15 cases were the result of possible community transmission; one person has died.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the Kensington employee was part of that countywide total.

The assisted living and memory care center houses 120 residents in 94 units, on 3 acres at Knob Hill Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway, in South Redondo Beach. It is the South Bay’s newest senior care home, having just opened last summer.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.