3 In Somerville Test Positive For Coronavirus, All Schools Close

SOMERVILLE, MA — Three Somerville residents have tested positive for coronavirus, officials said Wednesday. All three cases appear to be linked to a Biogen conference in Boston last month, city officials said.

The cases are "presumptive positive," which means the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still needs to verify the test results. One of the people who tested positive is married to a teacher at the West Somerville Neighborhood School and has a child at the school. Another is a parent of an East Somerville Community School student.

The third is a Somerville man, officials said.

The following schools, buildings and programs were closed or canceled:

• Somerville Public Schools and offices, including SCALE
• All Somerville Public Library branches
• All Department of Parks and Recreation activities
• All activities held in Somerville Public School buildings
• The Somerville Boxing Club

The Department of Public Works will clean the buildings over the next four days. Regular programming is expected to resume Monday, March 16.

On Wednesday, the Somerville Board of Health was notified that two people who attended an event at Assembly Row last week tested presumptive positive for coronavirus. Neither person is a Somerville resident, officials said.

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The Somerville Department of Health and Human Services remains in regular contact with the state Department of Public Health and regional health agencies regarding the coronavirus. The city's interdepartmental Emergency Response team is closely monitoring reports and information about the virus, continues to follow all public health recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state public health officials and is closely following updates from the World Health Organization.

The city and school department have implemented "social distancing measures" and postponed or suspended large events sponsored or permitted by the city and schools in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The city would also like to remind community members of the steps they can take to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• Stay home when you are sick, and especially if you are coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Practice social distancing. Examples of social distancing include not attending large events like concerts or sports games, avoiding shaking hands or hugging, remaining at least six feet away from others and especially anyone who is coughing or sneezing, and allowing employees to work from home or teleconference
• Wash your hands often, using soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
• If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer until soap and water are available.
• Cough/sneeze into a tissue. Dispose of used tissues immediately into a trash can. If you don’t have a tissue, cough/sneeze into the crook of your elbow, not your hands.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that you touch frequently such as doorknobs, railings, sink handles, phones, and computer keyboards.

Additional information about actions the city and schools are taking, along with more information on COVID-19 and prevention measures, can be found at www.somervillema.gov/coronavirus.