The number of Princeton residents who have confirmed cases of COVID-19 has remained steady at four, although there are four more people whose coronavirus tests are pending and awaiting results as of March 18, Princeton Health Office Jeffrey Grosser said.
The four people who have been confirmed to have COVID-19 attended a Feb. 29 party in Princeton, where they were exposed to two Massachusetts guests who were discovered to have COVID-19 when they returned home.
The two Massachusetts residents who were guests at the party had previously attended the Biogen conference in Boston, which has been linked to the spread of COVID-19.
Grosser also reported March 18 that three people are in isolation because they have exhibited COVID-19 symptoms, but they have not received laboratory testing for it.
The results of seven other coronavirus tests were negative, which means the people who were tested do not have COVID-19.
Grosser said six people are under investigation and are in quarantine, due to travel or close contact with someone who was confirmed to have COVID-19 but who did not show symptoms of it.
Twenty people who were in quarantine have been cleared from quarantine or monitoring, Grosser said.
Although the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 appears to have reached a plateau, Grosser cautioned that the number of confirmed cases will increase as more people are tested and gain access to testing throughout the region.
“This is expected, and it is not an indicator that social distancing does not work. Social distancing works, but it as only been in effect for three days,” Grosser said.
Meanwhile, Police Chief Nicholas Sutter advised callers who want to report gatherings of 50 or more people and other COVID-19 curfew and social distancing infractions to call 609-921-2100, which is the Princeton Police Department’s non-emergency telephone number.
People should not call 911, which is the emergency telephone number, Sutter said. The communications officers who answer the non-emergency telephone line are trained and will be able to assist callers, he said.