Local health authorities are monitoring 40 Nevadans who traveled last month on the Grand Princess cruise ship linked to several cases of the novel coronavirus, including a Northern Nevada man in his 50s who on Thursday became the second patient in the state to test presumptively positive for the virus.

The Department of Health and Human Services said in a press release Friday evening that the state was notified about the passengers over the past two days by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and that local health authorities “responded immediately” to evaluate the passengers for symptoms of COVID-19. Earlier Friday, Washoe County Health District officials had said that they were monitoring an unspecified number of Grand Princess passengers, including family members of the man who tested positive for coronavirus.

“Our local health authorities continue to show that they are dedicated to the health of our communities, and the State is grateful for their swift response to connect with these passengers to assess their health,” Richard Whitley, director of the Department of Health and Human Services, said.

The Northern Nevada man is in stable condition and in self-isolation at home.

His diagnosis prompted the Friday closure of Huffaker Elementary School in Reno, where one of his family members is a student and which had experienced a recent uptick in kids with influenza-like symptoms. Washoe County Health District officials announced Friday evening that all kids tested for COVID-19 were negative for the virus, including the student related to the man who tested presumptively positive for coronavirus.

“Parents, students and staff can rest assured that there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Huffaker Elementary School,” Washoe County School District Interim Superintendent Kristen McNeill said in a statement. “We want to thank the health district for their diligent work to ensure safety of our students and staff.”

She added that Huffaker will reopen on Monday. Earlier Friday, McNeill said at a press conference that a team conducted a “deep cleaning” of the campus Thursday night, with a second cleaning scheduled for Friday afternoon.

Nevada Superintendent Jhone Ebert said in a statement that “the Department of Education has been working with district leaders throughout the state on preparation and contingency plans for COVID-19 and we have developed recommendations and options to support them in addressing local concerns.” 

Gov. Steve Sisolak said in a statement that his office is monitoring the situation and is working with education leaders.

“I encourage all Nevadans not to panic, but to take this seriously and to stay informed as updates on this developing situation become available,” Sisolak said. 

A 71-year-old Placer County, California man, who traveled on the same cruise to Mexico last month as the 40 Nevadans, died on Wednesday after contracting the virus. The same ship, which left San Francisco on Feb. 21 on a different cruise to Hawaii, has been holding off the coast of California with passengers confined to their cabins as officials test those showing symptoms of coronavirus.

Local residents who sailed on the Grand Princess were not immediately identified after their return because “the presence of COVID-19 on the cruise ship was not immediately known,” said Kevin Dick, Washoe County District Health Officer. The Placer County case helped investigators identify the ship as a source for the coronavirus. 

“That investigation and other investigations led back to the identification of the cruise ship as being an exposure for residents,” Dick said.

At this point, Dick said that the patient who tested presumptively positive is being treated as a travel-related case and that health district officials have not yet identified any transmission of the virus within the community. Dick said that the health district is “working diligently” to trace the individuals the man may have had close contact with since returning from the cruise after he tested positive Thursday evening.

Once the health district has completed its “contact investigation,” Dick said that the district will take “appropriate action with them for isolation and monitoring.”

The health district is also asking that travelers returning from China, Italy, Iran, South Korea and Japan, countries with higher rates of active transmission, to “self-isolate” and contact the district.

“We are asking that if we have any travelers returning from those five countries, that they self-isolate and contact the health district so we can work with them on risk assessment and monitoring,” Dick said. 

In the meantime, health district officials are reminding people to wash their hands frequently, avoid handshakes, clean high-contact surfaces, and stay home from school and work if showing symptoms. Health district officials said they are not at this point providing any guidance to residents to avoid large public gatherings or travel.

“We are very low risk of COVID-19 transmission in our community,” Dick said. “We will monitor that we will work to try to prevent the spread of the disease, but we will continue to assess the situation as it evolves.”

Southern Nevada Health District officials announced in a press release Friday afternoon that the Clark County man identified as presumptively positive for COVID-19 is in “serious condition” and remains hospitalized in airborne isolation. They said they have identified all of the patient’s close contacts — meaning household members, health care providers and anyone else who was within six feet of the patient for a prolonged period of time — and asked them to self-quarantine for 14 days.

“While the COVID-19 outbreak is a serious public health threat, the immediate risk from the virus to the general public in Clark County and the United States remains low at this time,” the health district said.

Health officials also said that they are aware of a Toronto man who traveled to Las Vegas before testing positive for COVID-19, but that there are “no reports that this individual developed his infection during his travels.”

The Southern Nevada Public Health Laboratory also now has a total of three kits that can process about 800 samples, health district officials said.

Updated March 6, 2020 at 3:17 p.m. to include new information from the Southern Nevada Health District.

Updated March 6, 2020 at 7:26 p.m. to include additional information from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Updated March 6, 2020 at 9:15 p.m. to include new information from the Washoe County Health District.