Vigeant updates on city’s coronavirus prep; says one resident ‘presumptive positive’

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Vigeant updates on city’s coronavirus prep; says one resident ‘presumptive positive’
Mayor Arthur Vigeant is flanked by Patricia Moran and John Garside
photo/Bonnie Adams

By Bonnie Adams, Managing Editor

Marlborough – Mayor Arthur Vigeant held a press conference this afternoon to help communicate strategies and allay fears as the city strives to prepare for a possible corona virus outbreak, and to provide an update on one resident that has been reported having a presumptive positive test result.

That resident, he said, is doing well and has no known contacts in the Marlborough Public Schools or other Marlborough schools. Several other residents are being monitored, he added; all of those are also “doing well.”

“But this is a serious illness – it’s really something that will impact seniors and those with particular risks,” he said.

As a result, the city’s custodial staff is putting in additional precautions at the senior center and senior housing complexes.

Joining Vigeant at the conference was John Garside, the city ‘s Board of Health Director as well as Patricia Moran, a public health nurse with the BOH.

Garside that said city events will be evaluated on a “case by case” basis. At this point, the Marlborough Mayor’s Charity Relief Ball, scheduled for Saturday, March 14, at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center, is still due to be held. The biennial event is one of the city’s major fundraisers to help residents in need.

Vigeant noted that organizers would understand if guests chose not to attend and that he hoped that those who did, would greet each other not with “a hug or handshake but a smile.”

Vigeant said that he has been in close contact with UMass Marlborough Hospital; in fact, Joseph Tennyson, MD, who practices at the hospital, is the chair of Marlborough’s BOH.

“They are great partners with the city,” he added, “working closely with us.”

Garside said he has also been in contact with management at two major businesses that attract large numbers of people, especially children – the New England Sports Center and Apex Entertainment complex. Vigeant added that city officials are also communicating with local hotels as well.

Moran advised that parents or guardians be proactive and keep their children home if they were not feeling well, for not only their child’s sake, but the other students as well, especially those with underlying conditions

“Don’t ignore any advice that you have been given,” she added.

“Use common sense,” Vigeant added. “And if you don’t feel well, stay at home.”

For more information visit www.marlborough-ma.gov.

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