Andover Coronavirus: Town Offices Closed To Public, Takeout List

ANDOVER, MA — Andover town offices will be closed to the public beginning Wednesday, the town announced Tuesday. The offices will still be staffed, and town services are available via phone, email and by appointment if necessary. Bill payments and other business can be deposited in the drop box in front of the Town Offices at 36 Bartlet Street.

The town also posted a list of the town's restaurants that are open for takeout or delivery, following the governor's order banning on-premise dining. The town has also designated some downtown parking spots for curbside pickup.

The list is available at www.andoverma.gov/takeout.

Bill payment is at andoverma.gov/billpay, and contact information for town departments is available in Tuesday's announcement.

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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 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.