Coronavirus Vernon: Schools, Municipal Buildings To Close

VERNON, CT — Mayor Daniel Champagne on Thursday declared a "public health and civil preparedness emergency" throughout the town of Vernon. The emergency declaration was made in coordination with the state’s response to the global pandemic of COVID-19, a disease associated with a "novel coronavirus."

All Vernon public schools will be closed for two weeks starting Monday, March 16, Superintendent of Schools Joseph Macary said.

Town officials are also taking the following actions:

• Effective Friday, March 13, at 4 p.m, the Rockville Public Library, located at 52 Union St., will close until further notice
• Effective Friday, March 13, at 4 p.m, and in consultation with the Vernon Senior Center Advisory Board, the Vernon Senior Center, located at 135 Bolton Road will close until further notice
• Effective Friday, March 13, at 6 p.m., all Vernon Parks and Recreation Department programs and activities are cancelled until further notice

"Consistent with information received from federal, state and local health officials, the town has taken proactive measures to help slow and prevent the spread of COVID-19," Champagne said. "We are closely monitoring this emerging situation, and will continue to take the necessary steps to protect the health and safety of our residents."

Vernon Town Administrator and Emergency and Risk Management Director Michael Purcaro said a "Unified Incident Command System" involving all town departments and the Vernon public school system has been implemented "to provide a coordinated response to this health crisis."

He added town staffers will report to work and remain available by telephone or email. Residents are encouraged to conduct town-related business "remotely" whenever possible, Purcaro said.

Macary said the decision to close school buildings was because, "The health and safety of our students and staff is our top priority." He added the move was, "based on guidance from local and state health officials and in collaboration with the town of Vernon."

At the present time, there have been no confirmed cases of the virus in Vernon, Purcaro said.

"However, widespread community transmission is expected throughout the State of Connecticut,”said Patrice Sulik, Director of the North Central District Health Department. "Taking proactive measures before widespread transmission occurs is a proven
public health strategy to mitigate the severity of an outbreak."

For more information on the COVID-19 virus, residents can visit the State of Connecticut's website:

https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus

Purcaro urged residents to use informed sources for their information.

"We, as government officials, have a responsibility to provide the public with credible information and clear direction," he said. "Currently, there is a significant amount of misinformation accessible on the internet and social media. We strongly advise the public to only rely on information from official sources such as the Connecticut Department of Public Health and Federal Centers for Disease Control. We are grateful for public health experts like our State Epidemiologist Dr. Matthew Cartter, his team at the state health department, and our many local public health directors who are working tirelessly behind the scenes to protect our health."

He added, "Today, the town of Vernon participated on a conference call with the White House about the Federal response to COVID-19. We heard directly from Senior Administration Officials at the State Department, Centers for Disease Control, and the Department of Homeland Security. Of particular interest was discussion on the new travel restrictions and the Federal governments update on implementing mitigation strategies for communities with local COVID-19 transmission."