Editor’s Note: The following letter was released by the the Village of Westbury, the Westbury Fire Department and Westbury Union Free School District.
Dear Westbury Residents,
As concerns about the coronavirus continue to rise, the Village of Westbury, along with the Westbury Fire Department and Westbury Union Free School District, are closely monitoring reports from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), as well as our county and state representatives, and have taken a number of precautionary measures for the health and safety of our community.
We are committed to working through these challenging circumstances together, coordinating with each other so that we can assure all of our residents that everything possible is being done to promote the health and safety of all of the members of our community during this unprecedented and concerning time.
Please see the updates from our respective organizations below as to what we’re doing and how you can keep informed and protected.
Sincerely,
Westbury Mayor Peter I. Cavallaro,
Westbury Fire Department Chief Ken M. Gass Jr.
Westbury Board of Education President Robert Troiano Jr.
Westbury Fire Department
We are, and have been for some time, in close contact with the state and local health departments, local hospitals and other local emergency response and preparedness agencies. While the situation may be alarming to some, please know that your local first responders from the Westbury Fire Department as well as your local village officials are well trained in dealing with communicable diseases, and would like to share with you some things that can help you stay healthy.
Reduce the risk of transmission from potentially infected persons by maintaining high hygiene standards, as recommended by the CDC, and minimize close contact with people who may have been infected.
Keep up to date on factual information and recommendations regarding the developing situation. This information can be found on the CDC’s website (www.cdc.gov/coronavirus) as well the websites of the NYS, and Nassau County Department of Health.
Should you have an illness that is serious enough to warrant a transport by ambulance, please accurately answer all questions from the 911 operator, including those related to the presence of fever, cough and your recent travel/contact history. This information helps our crews better prepare to assist you while en route to your emergency.
Your health and safety are our primary concern, and we ask that you remain calm and understanding during the next few weeks, which will likely consist of more inconveniences and unknowns that we will all experience.
If you are experiencing symptoms such as:
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- Shortness of breath
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- Cough
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- Fever over 100.4
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We recommend you contact the following:
• Your primary care physician
• The New York State Department of Health coronavirus hotline at 1-888-364-3065
• The Nassau County Department of Health at 516-227-9697 or 516-742-6154.
Village of Westbury
The village has adopted a number of temporary curtailments, with respect to facilities and activities, in order to assure the health and safety our residents, employees, visitors and others who do business in Westbury. A full description of the actions the village is taking can be found on the village’s webpage at www.villageofwestbury.org, or on our Facebook page, here.
However, please note that until further notice, Village Hall will be closed to the public. We will have staff working, so you should conduct any essential business by phone or email. You can call 516-334-1700 or email clerksoffice@villageofwestbury.org with general inquires.
- All activities at the Community Center are cancelled, including the Senior Center activities and the after-school program.
- Sanitation services will continue as usual.
We are taking these steps to make sure that essential village operations continue, while following the best practices recommended by public health officials to help contain and minimize the spread of the virus.
We are certain that through all residents taking the steps that have been publicized, and by minimizing public gatherings that this crisis will pass.
The village will continue to assess this situation throughout this time, in collaboration with the Nassau County Department of Health, and will share additional information with you as we learn of it.
Please monitor county, state and federal websites for updated information, as well, as our own website and Facebook page for the most recent local information, and please follow the recommended health guidelines to keep you and your family safe.
Please keep yourself appraised of all current advisories and information from the CDC, as well as local, state and county officials.
Here is a list of resources that you can refer to for the latest information:
Nassau County Coronavirus Call Center at: 516-227-9570
The New York State Health Department Coronavirus Website @: https://www.ny.gov/coronavirus
The New York State Department of Health 24/7 Coronavirus Hotline at: 1-888-364-3065
Westbury Union Free School District
Nassau County Executive, Laura Curran, issued an executive order on March 15 to close all Nassau County schools to students from March 16 to March 27 as a way of limiting the continued spread of COVID-19.
On March 17, the Governor extended the period for schools to be closed to April 1. Accordingly, the district is closed for students until at least April 1.
We will provide updates in the event the governor, the county executive or the Westbury Board of Education decide to extend the time schools are closed to ensure the health and safety of students, staff and the community.
Please note that the first seven days, from March 16 to March 24, will take the place of the spring recess which was scheduled for April 9 to April 17.
Our schools will now be open from April 9 through April 17 unless a decision is made to keep the schools closed beyond the current date of April 1. This unusual change in the dates encompassed by spring break was made to ensure that our students receive 180 days of instruction as required under state regulations. This would not have been possible if we did not change the calendar to accommodate the Executive Order.
Packaged breakfast and lunch meals for our students are being distributed at the Middle School and Park Avenue School. The “Grab-N-Go” bags can be picked up by students or their guardians between 8 a.m. and noon.
Westbury Board of Education meetings, which are scheduled for the second and third Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m., are being closed to the public until further notice given advice to limit gatherings to ten or fewer individuals. As with all our meetings, members of the public can watch via our live stream broadcast. Go to westburyschools.org and click on the YouTube link to view the proceedings. A mechanism will be provided for questions to be asked. Video of the meetings are archived on our website.
The district will continue to assess this situation and collaborate with the New York State Education Department, the Nassau County Department of Health and other government officials. During the closure of schools, we will continue to extensively clean all our facilities. When the schools re-open, we will continue to disinfect the schools on a nightly basis, a procedure we instituted prior to the issuance of the executive order.
We will continue to keep you informed of the rapidly changing situation through all our different communication platforms, including the COVID-19 webpage on our district website which will be updated on a consistent basis. You can visit the COVID-19 Resource Page at https://www.westburyschools.org/covid19.
