Summit EMT: 'We May Stay 6 Feet Away And Ask Questions'

SUMMIT, NJ — The city of Summit released a video on Wednesday of a panel discussion moderated by Summit Mayor Nora Radest on preparation and planning for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, by the city.

Panel participants include Westfield Regional Health Director and Officer Megan Avallone, Summit City Administrator Michael Rogers, Deputy Fire Chief and Emergency Management Coordinator Donald Nelson, and Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad President Robert Flanagan.

The officials said they believe Summit is well prepared for the illness.

Megan Avallone started by saying that people should make sure they are getting their information from reputable sources, like the CDC. She also said not to panic, and pay attention to "basic infection controll measures," most importantly, washing one's hands routinely.

Flanagan said the First Aid Squad said that they are getting thermometers that will allow them to take temperatures of patients from a number of feet away.

He also said that emergency responders, after making sure a scene is safe and taking a patient's temperature, may "stay six feet away based on what we've already learned and ask some questions."

Rogers said the city has been communicating with Overlook Medical Center in Summit.

The Summit School District issued a letter about the virus last week.

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.

Johns Hopkins University has been keeping a tally of people infected by the illness worldwide.

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