Andover Coronavirus: Excise Tax Deadline Pushed, Wipe Warning

ANDOVER, MA — The town of Andover made several coronavirus-related announcements Friday. The town has extended the motor vehicle excise tax payment deadline over a month, from Thursday, March 19 to April 23. Taxpayers can pay online, by mail or using the drop box outside Town Hall.

The town also shared a pair of warnings, against coronavirus-related scams and against flushing wipes. Wipes marketed as "flushable," including disinfectant wipes, do not degrade as toilet paper and eventually clog pipes, the town said. This can cause the sewer system to back up.

A list of coronavirus scam avoidance tips is available here.

The town provided other resources including weekend activities courtesy of Andover Elder Services and a resource guide from the Department of COmmunity Services.

The Merrimack Valley YMCA is hosting a food and personal care item drive at the Andover/North Andover YMCA, Wednesday 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Information on what is needed is available here.

The town's latest updates on the new virus are available here.

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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 412-265-3853 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.