The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on Monday said that the risk to the public for novel coronavirus is low.

“At this time of year, there are many causes of respiratory illness in Colorado and around the globe,” Rachel Herlihy, the state’s communicable disease epidemiologist. “It’s understandable that people may be worried about the appearance of a new virus, but the health risk to the general public in Colorado remains low.”

Coronaviruses, CDPHE described, are a “large family” of respiratory illnesses spread through coughing and sneezing. The department has investigated three patients in Colorado, all of whom had traveled to China. There is no confirmed case yet in the state.

As of Monday morning, 82 people had died in China from the virus. CDPHE explained that it is unknown how severe or easily-spread this coronavirus is compared to others.

On Friday, U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner announced that he had “contacted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of State earlier this week to ensure Congress is prepared to serve as a collaborative partner in a successful response.”