2 VIRUS CASES CONFIRMED HERE

Two people are the first in Georgia to test positive for the new coronavirus, Gov. Brian Kemp and state officials announced Monday evening at a hastily arranged press conference.

The couple, who live in Fulton County, showed symptoms of the illness shortly after one of the people returned to Georgia after a trip to the Italian city of Milan, officials said.

Dr. Kathleen Toomey, head of the state’s public health department, said the patient’s illness was detected quickly. She stressed it was a travel-related case and not one linked to person-to-person contact in Georgia.

“I want to reassure you that they’re at home, in home isolation with other household members, with minimal symptoms so they’re not hospitalized,” she said. “The message to the public is still low-risk, low-transmission.”

State health officials have long braced for the possibility of local cases of the virus, which has infected nearly 90,000 people worldwide.

More than 90 confirmed cases of the disease have been reported in the U.S., including six fatalities, as the virus spreads despite efforts to contain it.

The illness, known as COVID19, is characterized by fever and coughing and, sometimes, pneumonia and shortness of breath.

The governor urged people who are exhibiting symptoms to call their medical provider, which “is exactly what happened in this case.”

Kemp on Friday named a task force made up of several of his administration’s top deputies, along with health and school officials, to identify the best ways to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Georgia.

President Donald Trump is set to visit the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday as he tries to calm growing fears about the outbreak.

JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM TAKING PRECAUTIONS AT THE AIRPORT: Korean Air passengers wearing masks get their tickets from an agent using disinfectant wipes as signs of coronavirus concerns were evident Monday at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Delta Air Lines said it will waive change fees for all international flights booked in March, as travelers become increasingly skittish about flying overseas. Delta already has suspended flights to China and cut back on flights to South Korea and Italy, countries hard-hit by the virus.