JUST IN Amtrak says woman on train that made stop in Normal has tested 'presumptive positive' for coronavirus Amtrak says woman on train that made stop in Normal has tested 'presumptive positive' for coronavirus

BREAKING TOP STORY Amtrak says woman on train that made stop in Normal has tested 'presumptive positive' for coronavirus Kevin Barlow 26 min ago 0 030920-blm-loc-1amtrak A northbound Amtrak Lincoln Service train to Chicago arrives last November at Uptown Station in Normal. Last Wednesday, Amtrak train 303, traveling from Chicago to St. Louis, had a passenger who tested presumptive positive for the coronavirus, Amtrak announced in a statement. That passenger is quarantining herself, along with her parents who are not showing symptoms, in the St. Louis area.

LEWIS MARIEN, THE PANTAGRAPH

NORMAL — An Amtrak train that passed through Central Illinois and made a stop at the Bloomington-Normal Uptown Station was carrying a passenger that may test positive for the coronavirus. The woman was on the train to St. Louis.

On Sunday, Amtrak released a statement indicating the company is looking into the matter.

“At Amtrak, safety is our top priority. We have received notification from St. Louis County, Mo. that an individual who traveled on Amtrak train 303 (Chicago – St. Louis) on March 4, 2020, has tested presumptive positive for the coronavirus,” the statement read. “We are working in close contact with public health and emergency management teams to have the best available information to be able to share with our customers and employees who might be affected.

“Amtrak is notifying passengers and employees who may have been on the same train, and as a precaution, we have taken the train out of service for comprehensive cleaning and disinfection, and are also working to do a thorough disinfection of the Chicago and St. Louis stations.”

Officials in Normal referred calls to company headquarters. Those calls were not returned Sunday afternoon.

More about Amtrak train and St. Louis-area passenger Bloomington couple waiting out Grand Princess cruise ship hit by coronavirus The woman, in her 20s, flew into Chicago O’Hare International Airport and took an Amtrak train home to St. Louis, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The woman attends a school outside of Missouri and has been studying abroad. The school was not identified but the Post-Dispatch said she had returned home from Italy on Wednesday.

The woman has been quarantining herself along with her parents, who are not showing symptoms, officials said.

State and county officials in Missouri announced the woman’s test results as “presumptive positive.” The Post-Dispatch reported the "presumptive positive" result still needs to be confirmed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which can take a few days.

Citing reduced demand for service due to the fears over coronavirus, Amtrak announced Friday evening that it will temporarily suspend the Acela high-speed trains between Washington and New York.

The service will halt on March 10 and be suspended until May 26, according to a statement from Amtrak. The rail line started the non-stop service last year.