Posted on: Tuesday, March 3, 2020
NORTH READING — Town officials have been monitoring the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID – 19) for the past several weeks. In addition to the “Respiratory Illness Prevention” guidelines issued by the Board of Health in February, there have been multiple conversations and planning discussions among town personnel, including School Department personnel.
Last week, in response to information released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), multiple departments participated in the first of what will be ongoing planning and response meetings, as necessary.
Town officials also participated in a statewide call led by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) on Monday, March 2, during which MDPH officials provided cities, towns and the health care community an update on the virus.
During the call, state officials directed participants to CDC and MDPH websites for guidance and updates regarding the virus.
The DPH webpage at https://www.mass.gov/guides/information-on-the-outbreak-of-2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19includes the following information:
• Overview
• Information for travelers arriving in the United States
• What is coronavirus?
• How do coronaviruses spread?
• What do we know about the source and spread of COVID-19?
• Prevention
• Treatment
• Guidance and recommendations
• Printable fact sheets
• For more information
For additional information from the CDC, please visit this page: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
For a copy of the Respiratory Illness Prevention guidelines issued by the Board of Health on February 12, please visit this page: https://www.northreadingma.gov/sites/northreadingma/files/uploads/public_health_advisory_corona_virus_influenzia_virus_and_the_measles_virus.pdf
The MDPH and CDC websites are updated on a regular basis, and additional local information will be posted on this page as it becomes available.
