New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell Tests Positive for COVID-19

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell has tested positive for COVID-19 and is recovering at home with mild symptoms.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday Mitchell said he will continue to work remotely, and that he does not anticipate that his status will disrupt municipal services or disrupt his ability to lead the city.

Mitchell said that he has limited his personal interactions in the last ten months, and that the only public indoor events he attended recently were at a local funeral home to attend a wake, at one of the city's churches to attend Sunday mass, and at a large local store. He said he wore a mask and practiced social distancing the whole time, as did others in his proximity.

"It is unclear whether I was exposed to he virus in one of these places, or somewhere else," Mitchell wrote. "My wife Ann and our daughters have tested negative, as have all members of my staff."

With cases surging across the NOrtheast, the news serves as a reminder that "it doesn't take much to catch the virus," Mitchell wrote. He encouraged everyone to lower exposure risk by wearing masks, keeping distant from other people, staying home as much as possible, and practicing good hygiene.

"In addition, I encourage everone to take advantage of the opportunity to be vaccinated when it's your turn," the mayor wrote.