SOUTHWICK- The Southwick Health Department announced April 10 that there are now 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the town.
The press release from the Board of Health Friday said that the number of confirmed cases does not necessarily reflect the number of actual cases in the town. There may be others awaiting the results of their tests, individuals with symptoms who have not been tested, and people who are asymptomatic.
On April 3 the number of confirmed cases in Southwick was 10. The Board of Health has not disclosed how many people are currently in quarantine.
Residents of Southwick are advised to continue to take the necessary precautions to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. Federal, state, and local officials have recently recommended that all persons should wear a mask of some sort when going to public places, though one should remain home unless absolutely necessary.
In the release, the Board of Health said that efforts are underway in the town administration to hold their meetings remotely using the Zoom video conferencing service.
“Efforts are underway for town boards to conduct their meetings remotely under the Zoom Conference Call platform in order to gradually bring back services to residents and to inform the public about ongoing town business,” said the release.
Board and commission meetings in the town have been conducting their meetings remotely for the last several weeks as allowed by Gov. Charlie D. Baker’s Emergency Declaration on March 12.
Neighboring Westfield currently has 171 residents with confirmed coronavirus. Baystate Noble Hospital in Westfield has set up a triage tent and begun implementing a plan for a surge of cases that is expected to happen in Massachusetts in the coming weeks.
Southwick’s Board of Health said it will be releasing an updated tally of confirmed cases every Friday afternoon.
