Town Administrator Anthony Ansaldi would like to inform residents that the Town of Wenham has declared a state of emergency in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
At this time, there are no known positive or presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in Wenham.
The town has declared a local state of emergency and has activated its Emergency Management Team to closely monitor the situation and provide any necessary updates.
By declaring this local Public Health Emergency the town will be able to deploy the resources and personnel necessary to meet the community’s needs throughout the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The declaration will additionally authorize town officials to issue additional directives to the public as the situation develops. It also creates a formal mechanism for the town to be reimbursed by the federal government for its emergency response.
Both the Annual Town Meeting scheduled for April 4 and the Annual Town Election scheduled for April 9 have been postponed until further notice. The new dates will be announced at a later time.
All non-essential Board and Committee meetings continue to be postponed, and all essential meetings will be coordinated through the Town Administrator’s Office.
All municipal buildings will remain closed to the public until further notice, though staff will continue to work in Wenham. Residents should plan to conduct their business with the town either by email or over the phone. Visit wenhamma.gov for a full staff directory.
More information about the cancellations and closings for the town can be found here.
The town’s Emergency Management Team and Board of Health will continue to work closely and meet regularly to discuss the latest guidance and determine the actions needed to keep the town prepared as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve.
“These measures are being taken out of an abundance of caution so that the spread of the virus can be minimized and to promote social distancing,” said Town Administrator Ansaldi. “Residents’ cooperation in this endeavor will be much appreciated.”
The Town of Wenham encourages residents to practice social distancing, and the town is urging private organizations to consider cancelling or rescheduling events that would gather large numbers of people or result in groups of people being in close proximity.
Local, state and federal health officials are encouraging residents to take the following precautions to prevent infectious diseases, such as the flu and COVID-19, from spreading:
- Washing hands with soap and water, scrubbing hands for at least 20 seconds before rinsing or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60%-95% alcohol.
- Frequently clean commonly touched surfaces, including phones, tablets, keyboards, doorknobs, light switches, faucet handles, toilet flushers, countertops.
- Avoid sharing personal items such as ChapStick, water bottles, eating utensils, etc.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve when coughing or sneezing and then wash hands.
- Community members should stay home and avoid contact with others when
experiencing flu-like symptoms including a fever of 100.4 and should remain home until symptom-free and/or fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.
The state has also set up the phone number 211 to answer questions that residents may have concerning COVID-19.
For more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) website here or the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s (DPH) website here.