Hopkins Keswick Facilities Closed Following 'Illness' Outbreak

(UPDATE 2:24 p.m.)—Both the north and south buildings of the Johns Hopkins at Keswick complex are closed after an outbreak of breathing difficulties prompted an evacuation on Tuesday. 

A notice announcing the closure was posted on the facility’s website that explains that authorities are still looking into the cause of the "illness."  The website also instructs all staff who reported being ill to report to Occupational Health or Occupational Injury and complete an incident report before returning to work.

The Baltimore City Health Department along with the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Johns Hopkins University will investigate the cause of the incident, according to an email from Tiffany Thomas Smith, a spokeswoman for the city health department.

"We are continuing to test the facility and the cause of the illnesses remains under investigation," Smith wrote in her email.

On Tuesday 21 people became ill, and 17 were treated at area emergency rooms, in the complex's south building prompting an evacuation. Additonally two more employees reported symptoms Wednesday morning, accroding to a news release.

Initial reports from the Baltimore Fire Department indicated the evacuation was because of a carbon monoxide leak at the building. During a press conference that afternoon it was reported that was not the case.