BOSTON — An employee of the biotech company at the center of the COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts is being criminally investigated after she defied the president’s travel ban and went to China.
Of the 328 confirmed cases of the disease in Massachusetts, 30 percent of them are linked back to Cambridge-based Biogen after several employees at a conference held by the company at the Marriott Long Wharf tested positive for the virus and traveled across the country, further spreading the disease.
Belmont native Jie Li is being accused of knowing she was sick and of taking medication to bring down her fever in order to fly under the radar so she could travel to one of the countries under President Trump’s travel ban.
While Li was not at the conference, workers say she had contact with people at the meeting and then traveled outside the country.
On Thursday, Chinese officials said for the first time since the outbreak began, they have had no new domestic cases but that doesn’t mean they haven’t had any imported cases.
Biogen representatives say that is just one of the reasons why Li, a statistician, was terminated by the company. Multiple reports by Chinese media say Li refused to disclose her exposure to the novel coronavirus to her airline and covered up her fever with drugs.
“We can confirm that Ms. Li was a U.S. Biogen employee who made the personal decision to travel to China without informing the company and ignoring the guidance of health experts. She is no longer an employee of Biogen. We are deeply dismayed by the situation as reported by the media in China."
— Biogen spokesperson
Biogen also tells Boston 25 they don’t know how sick Li is and don’t know whether or not she got her COVID-19 test results before traveling to China. However, the company says instead of working from home, she abandoned her responsibility and the travel guidance in place. A company representative also says they have been trying to reach Li and her emergency contacts for the past week to no response.
It is unclear how the company was able to relay the message of the termination despite their belief she remains overseas recovering from the virus.
Right now, Chinese authorities are working to figure out whether or not she broke the law.
Boston 25 News has made attempts to contact Li but have not heard back.
As for morale at Biogen, a representative says it is still high because they have followed all guidance available at the time throughout this outbreak and they remain focused and committed to their mission of discoveries in neuroscience.
© 2020 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
