UPDATE (February 5, 2020 6:30 p.m.):

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Monongalia County Health Department has released an updated statement about those who are self-quarantining as precautionary measures against Coronavirus exposure.

According to the release, No cases of coronavirus are suspected or have been diagnosed in West Virginia at this time. However, six people in the state are undergoing self-quarantine: four in Monongalia County and two in Ohio County.

Five of these individuals have recently returned from China; one in Monongalia County wasn’t in China but interacted with people returning from China.

ORIGINAL (February 5, 2020 1:26 p.m.):

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – During the weekly Monongalia Co. Commission meeting Dr. Lee B. Smith, the Monongalia County Health Department (MCHD) executive director, and the county health officer, said there were four people in the state, including Morgantown, who have recently visited China and are now in a self-imposed quarantine to monitor for symptoms of coronavirus.

Dr. Smith said two people in Wheeling who recently visited China for the Chinese New Year are self-quarantining. This means that they are sequestering themselves from the public, by remaining in their homes, for 14 days, the recommended time the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends to see if you truly have the disease and to prevent the risk of it spreading to others.

There are two people in Morgantown, who are also in self-quarantine, with a third individual expected to return from China soon and go into quarantine. One is a West Virginia University student, the other a chemical engineer and one works at the WVU School of Public Health. Dr. Smith said the individuals are in contact with WVU Medicine, which is making sure that they are properly monitored.

These are precautionary cases, they have not been confirmed, Dr. Smith said. This is the procedure recommended for anyone returning from China at this time. You can learn more about coronavirus from WBOY’s previous coverage.