Officials in Stamford and Bridgeport held emergency coronavirus preparedness meetings Friday as neighboring states begin to see an increase in the number of infected patients.

The main message from officials at their respective meetings was for the communities to be prepared and not panic.

"We as individual citizens can make a huge difference in whether this is a small problem or a big problem," said Rep. Jim Himes, urging the community of Stamford to take the right preventive measures when it comes to one’s health.

More: CDC Information about COVID-19

The city of Stamford, the school system, and the Health Department are all working together to ensure they are prepared if coronavirus cases appear in the area.

"Lucky for us, we are in a business where we already promote handwashing and provide many opportunities for students to do that throughout the day. So, we will continue to raise awareness," said Stamford City Schools Deputy Superintendent Olympia Della Flora. She said everyone is involved to make the schools safer. "We have asked our parents and staff to be mindful of students and please to stay home when they are sick."

 

Over in Bridgeport, Mayor Joe Ganim joined state and city officials to talk about their emergency preparedness plans.

"We have the plans and strategies in place to safeguard the community," said Scott Appleby, the director emergency management in Bridgeport.

Appleby said he wants to make sure all agencies are informed and stay connected, so they can have a consistent message to the community.

"We really want to make sure that we got the message across to be prepared, not scared," Appleby said.

Bridgeport officials say they are working daily to make sure the city can be the safest possible place, but they reiterated for everyone to do their part to stay healthy.

Bridgeport Hospital urged residents who are not feeling well to contact their primary care physician. Officials said they are working on getting a call center in place so if people have questions they can call before they come into the hospital.

Related Stories: 
Connecticut officials coordinate coronavirus preparedness, prevention efforts in the state 
Officials: Second ‘presumptive positive’ coronavirus case in New Jersey is woman in her 30s 
Gov. Lamont requests more COVID-19 testing kits from CDC 
Norwalk schools and hospitals plan for potential coronavirus cases 
4 Connecticut residents test negative for COVID-19 
WATCH: Special News 12 Q&A on the coronavirus outbreak 
Gov. Cuomo confirms 5 new cases of coronavirus connected to New Rochelle case 
Sen. Blumenthal calls on US airlines to end flight-changing fees amid spread of coronavirus 
Coronavirus Outbreak: Live Q&A Special Report - Tonight 
UConn students advised to 14-day self-quarantine following trip home from Italy 
NYS officials confirm New Rochelle attorney tests positive for coronavirus 
Virus alarms sound worldwide, but China sees crisis ebbing