North Andover Coronavirus: Town Buildings Closed, New Hotline

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — North Andover town buildings will be closed for at least two weeks, the town announced Monday. The closure began Monday and will last until March 30. Town services will remain available online, by phone and by appointment for essential services.

Many town services are available online. You can pay bills online here or using the dropbox outside town hall. The dropbox can be used to submit citizen petitions for town meeting, as well.

Resources related directly to the new virus, COVID-19, are available from the town's new hotline. The hotline launches Tuesday at 8 a.m. at 978-208-6070. Residents can get information about the illness, speak to the Public Health nurse if they have been exposed to someone with the virus, ask about town services, ask for help with food or supplies or ask for emotional support. Residents can also email covid19@northandoverma.gov or go to northandoverma.gov/covid19.

The full announcement is available here.

>>North Andover School Meals Available During Coronavirus Closure

Residents should call the fire department at 978-688-9590 to make an appointment if they need a permit.

Municipal playgrounds are not being cleaned or sanitized.

The town and schools are working on providing free meals to residents during closures.

The school district also provided an update on operations during the district's closure over the next three weeks. Beyond the Classroom materials are now available to cover two days of school, and additional resources are being added to the platform for further learning during the closure.

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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.