KEY POINTS

  • A New Jersey woman with was tracked down after she went missing
  • The woman tested positive for COVID-19, but provided a fake address and identity
  • She was tracked down after officials deemed she posed a public health risk

A young woman from New Jersey that had disappeared after testing positive from COVID-19 has been found. The woman, who was tested at the East Orange General Hospital, went missing and was classified “at large and posed a public health risk”.

Fox News reported that the woman arrived at the East Orange General Hospital on Saturday. After undergoing a COVID-19 test, she provided a false name and address and then left, according to Mayor Ras Baraka. Her test results came back positive, but she wasn’t at the address she provided. That’s when the authorities figured out that she had lied about her personal details.

The city sought a court order to have the hospital release their surveillance videos for identification of the woman. The mayor also issued a statement that the Newark Police Department was looking for the woman because of what she did, and urged her to go to her health provider. She was also encouraged to return to the East Orange General Hospital.

A few days later, an announcement came on the mayor’s Facebook account that the woman had been found, according to Patch. No further details had been provided in the , other than the woman had been located. The mayor thanked everyone for their vigilance and urged them to tune into the local Virtual Town Hall for more information regarding the current situation in the city.

The total number of people with COVID-19 in the city had risen to 178 as of Monday. There had been three casualties and Governor Phil Murphy had declared a state of emergency. Schools are also closed, and community and local government organizations have ramped up their efforts to protect residents from contracting the virus.

The same warning coming from everywhere had been issued. State officials have said that older adults and individuals with underlying medical conditions like heart and lung diseases have a higher risk dying from the dreaded virus and are encouraged to lower the risk of their exposure. Commissioner of Persichilli assured the public that all safety measures are being taken, but cases in communities must still be expected to rise.

Analysts say the economic costs of the coronavirus outbreak will become clearer in the coming weeks and months
Analysts say the economic costs of the coronavirus outbreak will become clearer in the coming weeks and months AFP / GREG BAKER