Westfield Schools Closed 'Until Further Notice' Amid Coronavirus

WESTFIELD, NJ — The Westfield School District announced Friday that schools will close beginning Monday, March 16 "until further notice" due to coronavirus concerns.

A notice on the district website said, "This decision is strictly preemptive; there are no known cases of COVID-19 in Westfield ... The SATs scheduled at the high school for Saturday, March 14 will proceed as planned."

To keep up with the latest, you can get breaking news in Millburn and statewide signing up for free Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

The same day, Mayor Shelley Brindle said that she has canceled all events on town property through April 19. Brindle held a panel with Westfield Regional Health Officer Megan Avallone, in which she answered residents' questions live, on topics ranging from playdates to social distancing to eating out.

Read a story about the questions and answers for the coronavirus panel here.

Gov. Phil Murphy announced Friday that the state had confirmed 50 cases.

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.

</blockquote>

Got a local news tip? Email caren.lissner@Patch.com.