By Brandon T. Bisceglia
Orange’s Director of Health Dr. Amir Mohammad assured residents at the March 11 Board of Selectman meeting that the town was ready to respond to a potential outbreak of COVID-19, even as he revealed that a resident was currently being monitored for the coronavirus.
A day earlier Gov. Ned Lamont declared a state of emergency on the heels of the first few cases of the disease popping up around Connecticut. As part of that declaration, local health officials like Mohammad gained broad powers to quarantine individuals and shut down schools and other facilities.
Mohammad said he had assembled a team to monitor the situation that includes Emergency Management, the Board of Education and the Police Department, who will continue to meet on a weekly basis throughout the crisis. He is also continually having discussions with stakeholders throughout the town.
The “person under investigation” for the disease, as Mohammad referred to them, is not currently symptomatic but had been identified by state health officials as having potentially been exposed to the virus through travel or other contact with infected individuals.
“We have them give us information on a daily basis how they’re doing, and they should be isolating themselves for 14 days before they go out in the community,” he explained.
Mohammad noted that several places in Connecticut, such as Staples High School in Westport and the University of New Haven in West Haven, had already shut down in-person classes. He said the same could happen in Orange, though he was not recommending it at that time.
“Can it happen? Yes, it can happen,” he said. “If we are well-prepared and we have enough steps to follow, we will not cause any panic or any type of unprepared or unnecessary drastic effect.”
Mohammad said that the schools would be shut down if one confirmed case was found.
“The risk of transmission is so high that you don’t want to jeopardize the staff members or the other children,” he said, adding that he had recommended to the Board of Education that they delay any unnecessary trips or gatherings.
First Selectman Jim Zeoli dispelled a rumor that had been circulating that the Board of Selectmen would be shutting down the schools at its meeting. He pointed out that the selectmen did not even have that power.
“The school is having a delayed opening on Monday, and they are meeting with the staff and doing some prep work,” he said. “It’s not because there’s an issue within the school system.”
Mohammad asked residents to remain calm and to seek out reliable sources of information. He said he would be updating the Health Department’s webpage on a regular basis, and suggested residents check the Connecticut Department of Public Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websites for accurate, up-to-date information about the virus.