Bristol issues town meeting warning on COVID-19

BRISTOL — In advance of Saturday’s Town Meeting, Bristol officials offered advice to those concerned about the coronavirus pandemic.

The schedule for the Bristol Town Meeting remains unaltered, beginning at 9 a.m. on March 14 in the auditorium of Newfound Regional High School, but officials will have hand sanitizer available for use “frequently, especially after a ballot vote,” and attendees will receive their own pencil for use during the day.

Supervisors and ballot clerks will have surgical gloves for handling ballots. 

Officials also are urging people to maintain a distance of at least one seat from other attendees in the auditorium, and to maintain six feet of separation from others during social interactions, avoiding handshakes.

The town offered additional information from the Centers for Disease Control about Coronavirus Disease 2019, or COVID-19, the most recently discovered strain. In general, coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that may cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The Centers for Disease Control advises, “Older adults and people who have severe underlying chronic medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness. People who are at higher risk are encouraged to avoid crowds as much as possible.”

The standard advice of coughing into a tissue or your elbow; washing hands thoroughly throughout the day; keeping fingers away from the mouth; and staying home if sick apply.

The town’s advisory acknowledges that surgical masks do not provide adequate protection and that wearing one to the meeting would not avoid spreading the disease or reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19.