Coronavirus patient went to BYU game, risk considered low

PROVO, Utah (AP) - Utah public health officials are contacting and testing Brigham Young University basketball fans who sat near a coronavirus patient at a game prior to the infection being diagnosed, the university said Monday.

He had mild symptoms and there's little risk the virus was transmitted more widely the Feb. 22 game against Gonzaga, the school said in a statement. People who went to the game don't need to do anything unless the are contacted by the Utah County Health Department.

The Davis County resident is the only confirmed case in Utah. He is believed to have caught it aboard a cruise ship and was tested after he returned home.

The testing comes as local hospitals take additional steps to limit the spread of the virus.

Intermountain Healthcare is asking its patients to limit visitors to two people, ideally over the age of 18, and asked people not to come to hospitals if they are ill. The policy that applies to Utah and Idaho facilities ! also bans any visitors to patients who may have the new coronavirus.

At the University of Utah's hospital, officials have set up negative pressure tents outside where they could screen patients without the risk of spreading the virus to the hospital at large.