New York City Department of Parks & Recreation has allayed fears that a section of Williamsbridge Oval park in Norwood may have been cordoned off to curtail the potential spread of Legionnaires’ disease, following an announcement on Saturday, May 21, by the Bronx Borough President that the City’s health department were investigating a now confirmed cluster of the illness that had been identified in the Highbridge and Melrose sections of the borough.

 

 

A seating area at one end of the Williamsbridge Oval was first cordoned off to the public early on Sunday, May 22, with tape which included the words “Caution” or “Cuidado” in Spanish, indicating that the area was perhaps contagious.

 

Suspicions that the section of the park might have been a crime scene were deemed unlikely given the tape used to cordon the area off did not have the usual “NYPD” printed on it.

 

A police official also later confirmed to Norwood News by phone on Sunday that it was not aware of any crime reported at the location. On the same day, Norwood News reached out to the Parks’ department to see if they had any information on why the seated area was cordoned off to the public.

 

On Tuesday, May 24, Parks department employees, seemingly dressed in hazmat suits, were seen working in the area, and clearing it of weeds. It was not immediately clear if they were also spraying some type of weed killer or not.

 

We followed up with the Parks department for an update, therefore, and Dan Kastanis, a Parks spokesperson, replied, saying, “These benches have been cautioned off as we make repairs to ensure the safety of parkgoers, and the crew photographed is mowing and trimming the grass in the park as part of routine maintenance.”

 

Kastanis continued, “They [the two teams] have nothing to do with each other, and neither of these have anything to do with Legionnaires’ disease.”

 

What You Need to Know About Legionnaires. Helpful information for our residents and families in #Highbridge and the West Bronx. Health officials continue to monitor confirmed cases and are currently conducting testing of all cooling towers in the affected areas. Updates to come. pic.twitter.com/F714KYJ1SW

— Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson (@bronxbp) May 24, 2022

 

Norwood News contacted the health department for an update on the possible cluster of Legionnaires’ disease in Highbridge and Melrose, to ask if the number of affected people has increased, and if it is still confined to the Highbridge/Melrose area. According to an update on the City’s health department website on Wednesday, May 25, the department confirmed it was investigating a community cluster of 19 cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the Highbridge neighborhood of The Bronx.

 

One person was confirmed as having died from the outbreak. On June 2, Gibson said 24 people had since been diagnosed with the illness and the number of fatalities had increased to two.

As of yesterday, 24 people have been diagnosed with Legionnaires and, unfortunately, we have had 2 fatalities. We are closely monitoring the situation. If you experience flu-like symptoms please seek immediate medical attention. pic.twitter.com/poOoGTlEJm

— Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson (@bronxbp) June 2, 2022