Westfield Has Its First Coronavirus Case, Will Notify Contacts

WESTFIELD, NJ — A day after announcing schools would close "until further notice," the town of Westfield announced Saturday that it received confirmation that a resident has the virus, and may ask that person's contacts to self-quarantine for 14 days.

[UPDATE: The mayor said in a letter on Sunday that more restrictions would likely be coming for the town's residents later that day.]

In a letter to residents, the town said, "Regional Health Officer Megan Avallone is following all related protocols issued by the State Department of Health for case investigation and contact tracing. This entails a full inventory of the resident's recent activities and locations visited. From this assessment, notification to all other individuals who have been identified as close contacts will follow. These individuals will also be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days."

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Many Westfield residents commute to New York City, which reported its first coronavirus death on Saturday afternoon. New Jersey announced its second coronavirus death on Saturday evening, a woman in her 50s.

The letter to Westfield residents continued, "In accordance with privacy laws, we are unable to release any personally identifiable information about this patient, who is in their 40s and remains stable while managing symptoms at home at this time. Residents are reminded to take all recommended precautions and exercise best practices like hand washing and social distancing to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. If you are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, please call your health care provider before arriving for evaluation."

Health Officer Avallone explained on Friday why the township was instituting social distancing measures, and answered residents' questions, such as whether it was ok for kids to have playdates. She serves as the health official for eight towns and is also the head of New Jersey's organization of the New Jersey Association of County and City Health Officials.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

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