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As Tennessee’s first case of coronavirus was detected in Williamson County, an affluent suburb south of Nashville, the local hospital says it is ready.

Williamson Medical Center issued a news release this week saying it had taken steps to prepare for a potential outbreak of coronavirus. Two days later, on Thursday morning, Gov. Bill Lee announced the first case of the infectious virus had been detected nearby.

It is not known if the first patient – a 44-year-old man who is quarantined at home with mild symptoms – was treated at the medical center. Angie VanTassel, a spokeswoman for the medical center, said it is planning a news conference on Thursday afternoon.

“We have approved protocols in place to guide the treatment of emergency patients presenting with fever and/or respiratory symptoms, as well as those who may have had potential exposure,” the medical center said in a news release. “Extensive plans are also in place to ensure the protection of all our patients and staff.”

In response to the detection of coronavirus, Williamson County schools have planned to close district wide on Friday and Monday. The closure will allow a deep cleaning of each school in an effort to prevent further spread of the virus, according to an announcement.

Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is a fast-spreading virus that originated in Wuhan, China, but has since become a worldwide epidemic. As of Thursday, the virus had infected about 93,000 people and killed 3,200, according to the World Health Organization. In the United States, the virus had spread to at least a dozen states and deaths have occurred in California and Washington state.

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.