32 passengers on bus from Texas may have been exposed to COVID-19, NM officials say

Health officials are looking for 32 passengers who traveled on a bus that originated in Texas because they may have been exposed to COVID-19.

The El Paso - Los Angeles Limousine bus — route 284 — traveled from El Paso to Denver on Thursday, Nov. 19, KCNC reported.

One of the passengers died shortly after the trip and was discovered to have COVID-19, according to the outlet. Now, health officials say the other 32 passengers may have been exposed to the virus.

Brian Hunt, president of El Paso - Los Angeles Limousine, said the company screened passengers for symptoms and checked them for fever twice before they boarded the bus, KFOX reported.

He added that passengers were required to social distance and that hand sanitizer was provided, according to the outlet.

Some of the 32 passengers were picked up in New Mexico, according to the Deming Headlight. New Mexico health officials are doing contact tracing in an effort to locate anyone who may have been on board.

The bus line does not require passengers to provide email addresses or phone numbers to travel, making it difficult for officials to contact them, KCNC reported.

“We have not typically taken contact information from all our riders though we have emails or telephone numbers from a certain number,” Hunt told KFOX. “After the incident last week, we began collecting contact information diligently to be prepared in the future.”

New Mexico health officials are encouraging anyone who was on the bus to stay home and avoid contact with others until Dec. 3, the Headlight reported.

If passengers develop symptoms, they’re instructed to get tested immediately, according to the newspaper. If no symptoms occur, the health department says passengers should wait to get tested until a week or 10 day after Nov. 19 — the date of the trip.

This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 11:54 AM with the headline "32 passengers on bus from Texas may have been exposed to COVID-19, NM officials say."