Coronavirus has been detected in patients in Nashville and Memphis.

The Nashville woman is isolated at home; Memphis patient is hospitalized.

Health officials say they haven't confirmed 'community spread' at this time.

Schools are not being closed in either city; Nashville has not canceled events.

The CDC recommends taking simple, everyday steps to avoid catching or spreading respiratory diseases including COVID-19. These include covering your cough or sneeze and thoroughly washing or sanitizing your hands. Call your doctor and stay home if you are sick. Get more information at CDC.gov/coronavirus.

UPDATE: A fourth coronavirus case was confirmed Monday in Middle Tennessee.

New cases of coronavirus were announced in Nashville and Memphis Sunday morning, bringing the known statewide total for the dangerous virus up to three.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper confirmed the first case of the virus in Davidson County. In Shelby County, Mayor Lee Harris revealed the infection of a non-elderly adult resident who recently traveled to another state and is now hospitalized.

Cooper said Nashville residents should take common-sense steps to protect themselves and prevent the spread of the virus, but the city should not shy away from volunteering in the wake of the deadly tornadoes that struck last week.

“Now this obviously comes at a time when Nashville wants and needs to give each other a big hug. And deserves to give each other a big hug. And we still need to do that," Cooper said. "Public Health will be talking about how we do that safely, with the best practices to keep our community safe.”

The Nashville patient is an adult woman who is cooperating with a voluntary self-isolation at home in Davidson County, said incoming city health director Dr. William Caldwell. City and state health officials are identifying other people she may have had contact with and are still attempting to determine the origins of her infection.

Caldwell said the woman’s infection is not believed to be related to travel, but state epidemiologist Dr. John Dunn said officials did not believe the woman had contracted the virus in her community either.

"We are still looking for that information that might guide us ... Did this person acquire this infection in the community? Or because someone else came into the community?Or because they traveled?" Dunn said. "I think it is just too early to say right now."

The woman does not have children in Nashville public schools. Schools are expected to open as normal on Monday, but the district is monitoring the virus to assess if closures are necessary at a later date, said Adrienne Battle, the interim director of schools.

Because schools have been closed in the wake of the tornadoes, the district has had the opportunity to sanitize campuses as a precaution, Battle said.

In Memphis, officials released very little information about the patient who had tested positive for the virus. Neither the person's age nor gender was disclosed, and they did not say what state the patient had traveled to or when they returned.

On Monday, officials said a Shelby County Schools employee has been placed in a "cautionary quarantine" after coming into contact with the patient over the weekend.

RELATED:Kentucky governor says state's coronavirus cases have risen to four

County officials said there was no need to close schools at this time.

“Although this is a very serious environment, we don’t believe that there is a need to panic," said Harris, the county mayor.

Mayor: 'Surprising' coronavirus took this long to come to Nashville

During a news conference on Sunday morning, city officials urged residents not to overreact to the virus, and insisted that the spread to Nashville was inevitable.

"It's kind of surprising it's taken this long, a little bit, frankly," Cooper said.

Dr. Alex Jahangir, the city board of health chairman, said the Metro Public Health Department has been preparing for its arrival for weeks as it spread through counties, states and other cities.

Other health officials stressed that most cases of coronavirus were mild.

► David Plazas:On coronavirus in Tennessee, preparation and prevention, not panic, are essential

“Clearly, Nashville is hurting right now with the damage from the storm last week,” he said. “And the last thing we need to do is have unwarranted anxiety around this virus. Now, that’s not to say we should ignore it. In fact, we should take all reasonable precaution.”

Coronavirus infected more than 105,000 worldwide

Novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, is a viral infection that began in Wuhan, China, but has since spread worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, more than 105,000 people have been infected and about 3,600 have died. In the United States, more than 400 cases and 19 deaths have been reported.

Coronavirus spreads similarly to the flu but has has a far higher rate of fatality, and is most dangerous to the elderly and people who are medically fragile. Medical experts have advised the public to take common-place steps to protect themselves: wash your hands, stay home if you get sick and, particularly if you are at risk, avoid air travel and large crowds.

In Nashville, coronavirus concerns have already led to the delay of the Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival and the cancellation of a TGI Friday’s convention at Opryland. In Texas, officials canceled the South by Southwest Festival, which draws tens of thousands of attendees each year.

On Sunday, Cooper said at this point that city officials did not intend to cancel any major upcoming events, including the upcoming Southeastern Conference NCAA men’s basketball tournament later this month and CMA Fest in June. But Cooper also stressed that these were “early days” in the outbreak, and said every city was still determining the “best policy” for dealing with the virus.

When asked about the impact on Nashville’s tourism industry, much of which is built on visitors packing into crowded honky-tonks, Cooper noted most of the tourists were not in the at-risk populations most impacted by coronavirus.

But concerns about coronavirus may still stifle visits to the city, he said.

“Our famous tourist base downtown — young people, bridesmaids and bachelorettes — not as at risk as an older population in other places,” Cooper said. “We need to learn from that, but right now the disruption is going to be from concern.”

First Tennessee coronavirus case is in Williamson County

These two new cases come three days after Gov. Bill Lee announced the first coronavirus case in Tennessee. That patient is a 44-year-old Williamson County man who is quarantined at home with mild symptoms.

Health officials believe he contracted the virus while traveling to Boston, possibly for a conference. On Friday, officials said it did not appear the virus had spread to other people in the man’s home.

Testing for coronavirus is being done at the state health laboratory in East Nashville. As of Thursday, the state had tested eight people for the virus and had the capacity to test 85 more. Lisa Piercey, the state health commissioner, described this supply of tests as “plenty for now.”

Dunn, the state epidemiologist, said Sunday that the state had received more testing materials since Thursday, but he did not know how much more.

The governor, while visiting a North Nashville church service on Sunday morning, said the new coronavirus cases were more reason for Tennesseans to keep washing their hands and staying home if they begin to show signs of illness.

"It’s a very serious situation, but we’ve also said we’ve got to keep it in perspective and we’re continuing to do that and take the steps to help mitigate going forward," Lee said.

Holly Meyer and Daniel Connolly contributed to this report.

Brett Kelman is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at 615-259-8287 or at brett.kelman@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter at @brettkelman.

Coronavirus: How to protect yourself

Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is a virus that spreads similarly to the flu but is more dangerous. The virus has spread across most of the United States and the world, infecting more than 105,000 people and killing at about 3,600. The virus is most dangerous to the elderly and people who are immunosuppressed or medically fragile.

Medical experts have recommended the public protect themselves and prevent the spread of the virus with common-sense steps that you would use to combat flu:

Wash your hands regularly and avoid touching your face.

If you think you might have the coronavirus, you should stay home and contact your doctor.

Additionally, people who are at-risk have been recommended to begin “social distancing” by avoiding air travel and crowds. You can reduce risk of contracting the virus by avoiding concerts, political rallies, crowded restaurants or places of worship.

The general public has been advised not to hoard hand sanitizer or other sanitizing supplies. People do not need to wear face masks or protective equipment in every day life, and masks could potentially backfire by prompting you to touch your face more often than you would otherwise.

Do you have coronavirus symptoms? Call these hotlines

Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the largest and most advanced hospital in Nashville, has set up a dedicated phone line for people who are concerned they may have coronavirus. This number is (888) 312-0847. This line is active seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Before calling, please consider that if you do not have symptoms and would not ordinarily see your doctor based on how you feel now, you do not need evaluation or testing for coronavirus.

The Tennessee Department of Health has also established a hotline in partnership with the Tennessee Poison Center. The number is 877-857-2945 and is available daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Central time.