As CDC Warns of Coronavirus’s Spread in US, Officials Reveal That More Than 600 In Mass. Have Been Monitored For Illness

More than 600 Massachusetts residents who traveled to China recently have voluntarily quarantined themselves at home while being monitored for the novel coronavirus, health officials revealed Wednesday.

So far, 377 have completed the quarantine without falling ill, and 231 are still being monitored, Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel said. Only one Massachusetts resident — a Boston student — contracted the illness, and he is recovering well in isolation at home, Bharel said.

The quarantines are voluntary and last 14 days. People have been cooperative in staying home, communicating regularly with their local health departments, and taking their temperature daily, she said.

The numbers were provided for the first time in a telephone press briefing Wednesday. Previously health officials have said they would discuss only confirmed cases.

On the call, held in response to federal officials’ statements Tuesday urging people to get ready for the virus’s likely spread in United States, Bharel offered repeated assurances that Massachusetts is well-prepared to handle an outbreak of the new coronavirus, known as Covid-19.