Norwood General Manager Tests Positive For Coronavirus

NORWOOD, MA — Norwood General Manager Tony Mazzucco tested positive for the new Coronavirus. Mazzucco was one of 11 town officials who may have been exposed to the new virus during a party. Mazzucco volunteered that his information be made public, including Monday's test results.

All individuals who are considered close contacts with Mazzucco have been notified by public health officials of the need to self-quarantine and have been given appropriate instructions. The town reassured that if you have not been contacted by public health officials about self-quarantining you do not need to self-quarantine.

Mazzucco began exhibiting symptoms on Thursday. Any close contact with him before then is not considered to be at risk of being exposed to COVID-19.

A professional cleaning crew was hired to sanitize and disinfect Town Hall over the weekend and Town Hall will continue to be open this week during normal business hours. To the knowledge of public health officials there has been no additional exposure to Town Hall since last week.

DPH officials said they are pleased with the level of cooperation and participation of those in Norwood who have been asked to self-quarantine and they asked that people continue to follow the guidance of DPH and the Norwood Health Department.

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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.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.