NORTH ADAMS, Mass. (WWLP) – The mayor and City Council vice president of North Adams are in quarantine after one was tested for COVID-19 Tuesday, according to the Berkshire Eagle.

City Council VP Jason LaForest went into quarantine after he tested for COVID-19, Mayor Thomas Bernard entered quarantine as a precaution because he had contact with the city councilor.

The Berkshire Eagle reports that LaForest began showing minor symptoms of the coronavirus early Tuesday and was directed to quarantine himself by the state Department of Public Health. Those symptoms include deep dry cough, sore throat, headache, and sinus congestion.

Mayor Bernard told the Berkshire Eagle he understands the news may be unsettling but he assured residents the city is putting its best efforts forward.

As community leaders, Councilor LaForest and I have an obligation to model best practices in following the instructions of state and local public health officials. Thomas Bernard, North Adams Mayor

LaForest also told the Berkshire Eagle he may have come into contact with the virus while at a meeting of municipal leaders in Boston last week. As of Tuesday, the number of coronavirus cases in the western Massachusetts area is seven, all of them in Berkshire County.

The total number of cases in the state is 92, with only one case confirmed by the CDC.

Click here for more details on the coronavirus cases in Massachusetts.