For immediate release

NORWOOD — The Town of Norwood seeks to provide updates to residents on a continuous basis.

The Norwood Health Department and Norwood Hospital would like to notify residents that on Wednesday, March 11, the hospital will be erecting a medical tent outside of the emergency room for potential future testing of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.

Please note, currently, tests are only being administered to individuals who have been told that they need to be tested by local public health officials. Please continue to monitor updates by visiting the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) website at https://www.mass.gov/resource/information-on-the-outbreak-of-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19.

The medical tent will be located on the backside of the hospital in the parking lot close to the Emergency Department.

“We don’t want people to be concerned when they see the medical tent. This is a standard practice and hospitals and medical facilities throughout the world are using similar tents for coronavirus testing,” said Salvatore Perla, DrPH, President, Norwood Hospital. “The medical tents are simply meant to limit any potential exposure between individuals suspected of having the coronavirus and patients in other areas of the hospital.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those who are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 are older adults and those with serious chronic medical conditions like, heart disease, diabetes and lung disease.

“We have a diverse population of patients from young and old and, sick and healthy, and we are utilizing best practices to keep our community and staff everyone as healthy as possible,” Dr. Perla said.

The hospital has been in close contact with officials from the Norwood Health Department and will continue to do so.

“We appreciate everything that the folks at Norwood Hospital do for our residents and the people in our community everyday,” said Sigalle Reiss, Director of the Norwood Health Department. “We have been in coordination with them throughout this process and our lines of communication will remain open.”

Earlier today, Governor Charlie Baker declared a State of Emergency in Massachusetts due to COVID-19. On Tuesday, DPH announced that the number of total cases of COVID-19 rose to 92 in Massachusetts.

Town, health and school leaders are currently reviewing the latest information from Governor Baker’s office regarding the State of Emergency declaration. The Norwood Leadership Team will discuss next steps as they pertain to Norwood and expects to release more information about the town’s response to the governor’s declaration tomorrow.

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