Norwood town manager tests positive for COVID-19, still under self-quarantine along with 10 others

NORWOOD, Mass. — The Norwood town manager has tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a private event with other town officials and employees last weekend where one person had tested positive for the disease.

Tony Mazzucco, the town manager, volunteered to share his test results with the public, but information on any other town employees or officials will be kept confidential.

The person at the event who tested positive for COVID-19 is not a town employee or town official but is a resident of the town. Their identity is not being released at this time.

As a result, 11 town officials and employees were instructed to self-quarantine for 14 days as a means to help curb the spread of the virus. Anyone who becomes asymptomatic after that will be eligible to return to work. In the meantime, those under quarantine will work remotely.

Mazzucco was among the several town officials and employees who were at the event. Mazzucco developed cold-like symptoms last week and as a result, out of an abundance of caution, he was tested for COVID-19 on Friday. By Monday, his positive test results had come back.

Mazzucco began exhibiting symptoms on Thursday, March 5. Any close contact with him before then is not considered to be at risk of being exposed to COVID-19.

Aside from Mazzucco, the names of those who are self quarantining are not being released because of federal health and privacy regulations and at the advice of town’s legal counsel.

Mazzucco will continue to execute his duties as the town’s general manager while working remotely from home, and the town will continue to operate as normal, and Town Hall being open during normal business hours.

A professional cleaning crew was hired to sanitize and disinfect Town Hall over the weekend to ensure it will continue to be open this week during normal business hours.

“I am following the instructions of state and local public health officials and I want to thank the Norwood Health Department for their guidance in this matter,” Mazzucco said.

There were a total of 30 people at the event, and all have been contacted by their local health department officials to be informed of the need to self-quarantine and monitor their symptoms. Aside from Mazzucco, the town is aware of one other resident, that is not a town employee or town official, that will need to be tested after displaying symptoms.

The risk to residents of contracting COVID-19 remains low, and the flu presents a higher risk to residents overall, according to the DPH.

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