Contact Tracing Begins in Marion County After NCAA Fan Dies of COVID-19
INDIANAPOLIS — The Marion County Public Health Department is working to see if anyone was exposed to coronavirus by Alabama residents after Friday night’s reported death of an Alabama fan who was in Indianapolis for the NCAA Tournament last weekend, reports WISH-TV.
Luke Ratliff, a 23-year-old student at Alabama, died after a brief illness, his father told the The Tuscaloosa News. The newspaper, citing multiple sources it did not identify, reported Ratliff died of complications related to COVID-19, according to WISH.
The Marion County Public Health Department released the following statement on Saturday:
“Based on a recent news story, the Marion County Public Health Department and the Indiana State Department of Health are contacting the Alabama Department of Public Health to determine if anyone in Indianapolis may have been exposed to COVID-19 by any Alabama resident who visited Indianapolis in recent days. We are conducting an investigation following the county and state’s standard contact tracing procedures. We continue to encourage residents and visitors to practice the simple and important habits that keep us all safe: wearing a mask, washing hands, and social distancing.”
Ratliff was in the hospital before returning to Alabama on March 29, one day after attending the Alabama game against UCLA at Hinkle Fieldhouse, the newspaper reported.
