Gov. Jay Inslee issued a statement in response to the confirmed case of novel coronavirus in Washington, the first confirmed case in the U.S.
"I’d like to thank the Washington State Department of Health, the Snohomish County Public Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for their quick action on this.
"Based on what we know now, risk to the general public is low. Our local and state health departments were prepared for this contingency. They have practiced and drilled for this situation, and they were ready. The quick response also shows the importance of a strong public health system, which we have here in Washington state.
"We want to make it clear: our teams are employing a layered approach to combat this. We have strong partnerships and a tiered public health system in place.
"We take this very seriously and, while this is the first case in the U.S., there will likely be others. Washington state will continue to work to share information and help however we can."