10 Cal State Long Beach students self-quarantine after possible coronavirus exposure

Ten Cal State Long Beach students and two community-member club advisors are in self-quarantine amid concerns they may have been exposed to coronavirus during a recent event in Washington, D.C., officials announced Sunday.

College officials said the students and advisors have not shown any symptoms after attending an event last week in Washington, D.C., where three attendees — who are not connected to the campus — tested positive for COVID-19, which is caused by the new coronavirus. The self-quarantine is being done “out of an abundance of caution,” Dr. Kimberly Fodran, co-director of student health services at the college, said in a prepared statement.

The college did not specify what out-of-state event the group attended.

“Because one of our attendees at the event in Washington lives in student housing, that facility is also being specially cleaned as a preventative measure,” the statement read. “As noted in an email to campus yesterday, our campus has initiated additional cleaning protocols across campus.”

There are at least 114 coronavirus cases in California and more than 500 nationally as officials struggle to contain the virus. There are no confirmed cases at the college or in the city of Long Beach.

However, the virus’ spread has forced several schools in the state to close, and Stanford University will switch to online classes for the next few weeks, college administrators announced. An oil price war triggered by the illness has sent already anxious financial markets into chaos, with stocks diving and crude prices collapsing in a worldwide panic that threatens a global economic recession.

Public health officials have warned that the number of Californians testing positive for the virus will likely rise in the coming days as testing becomes more widely available.

Though only 788 tests have been conducted statewide so far, California currently has kits for 8,000 individuals. A private lab, Quest Diagnostics in San Juan Capistrano, will be able to process 2,000 tests each day, beginning Monday, if needed, officials said.