New Orleans officials urged residents to remain calm as a Jefferson Parish resident being treated at a hospital in Orleans Parish became the first "presumptive" case of the new coronavirus in Louisiana.

UPDATE: St. Patrick's Day events in New Orleans canceled amid coronavirus

Mayor LaToya Cantrell and other city officials said at a press conference Monday afternoon that the person had not traveled recently overseas. But they declined to say much more about who he or she may have come into contact with, saying work to uncover that information has just begun.

The patient is being treated at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in downtown New Orleans after the person was admitted on Friday night, according to a VA hospital email.

Hospital staff and the state Department of Health sent the individual's positive test results to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, in line with federal guidance. A final result is expected within days.

“We continue to believe that the risk to the public remains low,” Cantrell said. “Right now, there is no need to panic. There is just a real need to continue to collaborate.”

Even before the case was identified, officials had long said they suspected the virus may already be in the city undetected or that it would soon arrive.

COVID-19 is a new strain from the family of so-called coronaviruses that can cause everything from the common cold to fever, cough and difficulty breathing. The virus originated in China late last year.

The virus poses the most risk to elderly adults and those with existing medical conditions. Younger or healthier people may be infected but not know it, as many adults show no symptoms.

Boudreaux Elementary employee sent home for 2 weeks after roommate had contact with coronavirus patient An employee of Terrytown’s Geraldine Boudreaux Elementary School has been asked to stay home for two weeks after the employee’s roommate had “…

The state Department of Health is working to determine who the infected individual may have come into contact with, but Cantrell said that the person had not traveled recently.

Meanwhile, Terrytown's Geraldine Boudreaux Elementary School informed families Monday that an employee has been asked to stay home for two weeks after the employee’s roommate had “close contact” with the patient who is infected with the coronavirus.

Neither the employee nor the roommate exhibited symptoms on Monday, but the school said it took the step to be cautious. School staff cleaned and disinfected the campus Monday after students went home.

Cantrell said the person had checked in to a New Orleans emergency room, had been there “for a while,” and was initially tested for pneumonia. Sometime later, health care workers tested for COVID-19, and the results were presumptive positive.

The case is “the only one we know of in the state of Louisiana at this time,” Cantrell said.

Residents with questions about the virus can call 855-523-2652, or text COVIDNOLA to 888777.

Cantrell said that for now, there are no plans to restrict travel in New Orleans or cancel parades and other mass gatherings, including the St. Patrick’s Day parade this weekend. She did not detail what set of circumstances would prompt such cancellations, saying she didn’t want residents to worry needlessly.

“We don't want to incite fear in the public, and once you start down that road, it is very difficult to pull it back,” she said.

The news of a confirmed coronavirus case in New Orleans prompted a wild scene on the second floor of City Hall just ahead Cantrell's briefing on Monday, as a dozen hospitality workers stormed her office to demand that she and the City Council force private businesses to give hospitality workers paid sick leave.

If a restaurant employee is infected with the coronavirus and stays home, they stand to lose out on wages under the status quo, the workers said. Thus, many employees may show up to work while sick, putting patrons and other employees at risk.

"The health and wellbeing of hospitality workers should be a priority of the community at large," resident Ashlee Pintos said.

Louisiana's first presumptive case of coronavirus at VA Medical Center; patient admitted Friday The patient with Louisiana's first presumptive case of the new coronavirus is currently being treated by the Veterans Affairs Medical Center i…

After being told that they could discuss the issue with the mayor's team at a later date, the workers began to chant and disrupt her briefing, at times talking over Cantrell's staff and even the mayor herself.

The mayor and the City Council do not have the power to force private businesses to change or adopt sick leave policies, under state law.

"I can absolutely understand where you all are coming from," Cantrell said, adding that her authority in the area was limited.

Staff writers Ramon Antonio Vargas and Emily Woodruff contributed to this report.