Seventeen people have tested positive for the coronavirus within the Veterans Affairs Portland Health Care System, most within the past week, and the hospital’s emergency room has stopped accepting ambulances in response to the outbreak.

According to a statement provided by a spokesperson, the current cluster of COVID-19 cases is associated with a medical/surgical inpatient unit at the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and involves three patients, 13 clinical staff and one medical trainee.

On Friday, the medical center implemented new precautionary policies, including not accepting ambulances to the emergency department, and halting inpatient transfers. The hospital is also reconsidering plans to increase outpatient procedures after Gov. Kate Brown loosened restrictions on May 1.

According to the statement, on April 29, a veteran who had been nonsymptomatic and tested negative for COVID-19, was transferred from a community hospital to the VA medical center. Upon arrival at the medical center, the veteran was re-tested. On May 1, the results came back as positive, and the veteran was transferred to the hospital COVID-19 unit. Contacts were traced and tested, and employees identified as being exposed to the patient were considered at low or moderate risk and were monitored.

On May 4, a second veteran and inpatient who had previously tested negative was retested for a procedure, and the test came back positive. That day, the medical center was notified that an employee was being admitted to a community hospital with a confirmed case of COVID-19.

The employee, who had worked in the vicinity of one of the patients during the previous week, is out of the hospital and recovering at home, according to the statement. Two of the three veterans have been discharged.

Other precautionary measures include continuing the practice of requiring patients and visitors to the VA Portland facilities to wear a cloth face covering or a procedure mask during staff interactions; testing staff and visitors who had contact with the involved patients; deep-cleaning; and more.