EAST PROVIDENCE — Sources and the employer itself have confirmed a man, who is employed at St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket and is the husband of an East Providence school teacher, is the state’s presumptive first case of the new Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) after he took ill upon returning from a recent trip to Europe.

The man chaperoned a February vacation excursion by St. Raphael students to Italy, Spain and France. The family does not live in East Providence.

The man, who has some history of respiratory illness, came home from the trip February 22 feeling under the weather. A few days later with flu-like symptoms, he was eventually taken to hospital where he under went tests to determine if he had COVID-19, which was confirmed by state officials during a March 1 news conference.

The Rhode Island Department of Health is overseeing the testing and the Rhode Island Department of Education is also involved in the situation.

The man’s wife, a teacher at Silver Spring Elementary School, was back to work Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 24 and 25, as classes started after the mid-winter break.

Following her husband’s admittance to hospital mid-week with the prospect of having COVID-19, she and their two children voluntarily quarantined themselves under Department of Health supervision “out an abundance of caution,” according to sources. So far, state officials say no one else in the family has shown any flu-like symptoms.

State and local officials emphasized there was no reason to be alarmed at moment, but that the district and families should take proper precautions like making sure sanitary conditions are maintained in the home and classroom.

East Providence School District officials earlier Sunday said Silver Spring Elementary was cleaned and sterilized the evening of Friday, Feb. 28, at the conclusion of classes.

St. Raphael announced March 1 it was closing school for at least two days, March 2 and 3, with an eyes towards reopening once its buildings have been cleaned and sanitized.

(Updated, March 1, 10:20 p.m.) St. Raphael administrators later Sunday evening amended their decision on the closure of school, deciding to shutter operations for the entire week. In addition, the school confirmed a student from the European trip was being evaluated for potential exposure to COVId-19.

Also late Sunday, the Rhode Island Department of Health issued a release advising the State Health Laboratories had identified a second presumptive positive case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and a separate person has been tested for COVID-19 earlier in the day.

These two individuals went on the same trip to Europe in mid-February as the male who RIDOH announced Sunday morning as Rhode Island’s first presumptive positive case of COVID-19. 

The presumptive positive case is the aforementioned teenage student. She is at home with mild symptoms. The adult being tested is in her 30s and is also at home with mild symptoms.

The second adult whose test results are still pending is a staff member at Achievement First Academy in Providence. Achievement First Academy will be closed for two days, pending the results of the employee’s tests. The result is expected Monday, March 2, and the school is closing for an additional day to do environmental cleaning.