Andover Coronavirus: Annual Town Election Postponed

ANDOVER, MA — Andover's annual town election will be delayed, the town announced Wednesday. The Essex County Superior Court approved the town's request to delay the election, originally scheduled for March 24. The Select Board will set a new date at an upcoming meeting.

The Board voted Monday to request the authority to postpone, in response to the new coronavirus outbreak. Multiple polling precincts are in the Andover High School Field House, and just the poll workers in the building would total 32, exceeding the governor's ban on gatherings over 25 people.

Absentee ballots that have already been submitted still count, and voters in self-quarantine due to the new virus can continue to vote absentee.

>>Andover Coronavirus: Town Asks To Delay Election, Schools Update

"To vote absentee, voters must submit an absentee ballot application. Absentee ballot applications can be found online and submitted by email to townclerk@andoverma.gov," the announcement continues.

They are also available at the Town Offices ground floor entrance, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. They can be deposited in a drop box next to the applications, or mailed to the Town Clerk's Office, 36 Bartlet Street.

The clerk's office will mail voters the absentee ballots. Ballots can also be returned by mail or using the drop box.

Don't miss updates about precautions in your area as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

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.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.