ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Health officials said a person has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus in Pasquotank County.
Albemarle Regional Health Services confirmed a person in the county tested positive on Thursday. Health Director R. Battle Betts, Jr. said the resident is at home on self-isolation.
Health officials said the patient had traveled domestically in the recent past and may have contracted the virus during that time. It is the first reported case in northeastern North Carolina.
Also on Thursday night in nearby Chowan County, Edenton-Chowan Schools announced that the spouse of a school employee at D.F. Walker Elementary School tested positive for COVID-19.
The employee was not identified, but school officials said the couple lives in another county. Due to privacy reasons, the health department would not confirm if this is the same case that was reported in Pasquotank County.
Upon learning that an employee tested positive, the campuses of D.F. Walker and White Oak Elementary Schools were shut down and all buildings will be disinfected based on the CDC guidelines.
Out of an abundance of caution, all school campuses in the district will be closed Friday and Monday for all employees and staff members. Meal service will be suspended until Tuesday, March 24.
There has been a flurry of confirmed cases of COVID-19 Thursday afternoon, including the first reported cases in Portsmouth, Suffolk, Gloucester, and Fort Eustis.