Fairfield Issues Public Health Alert

Fairfield, CT - Last week, the State of Connecticut launched a color-coded weekly COVID-19 alert map with guidance for municipal response. Today, the Town of Fairfield was moved into the red level along with 18 other towns, which according to the Department of Public Health, is for municipalities that have a two-week average daily case rate higher than 15 per 100,000. The recent outbreak in positive cases at Fairfield University over the last two weeks are largely attributable to this change in Fairfield’s status. 

Health Director Sands Cleary said, “The change in level today is concerning but not unexpected given that we are experiencing the second wave of the pandemic with cases increasing throughout the state and the country, and the time period used to calculate the rate includes the recent increase in cases at Fairfield University, which have been reported over the last few weeks. The recommended actions for towns in the red level have already been put in place by Fairfield University, which has appeared to mitigate the outbreak they were experiencing.”  

Mr. Cleary continued, “Given that there are fewer reported cases this week at the University, and that the week with the highest number of cases at Fairfield University will not be included in next week’s rate, this should have a positive impact on next week’s rate. This will depend on all community members doing their part to prevent transmission in the community.”

First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said, “I would like to once again remind all residents to continue to wear masks, wash hands frequently and maintain a social distance from others. We encourage the cancellation of any large gatherings and we have already canceled all town sponsored public events. Currently, the primary means of transmission has been seen from small gatherings where people are letting their guard down by taking off their mask and are coming too close to one another.” 

“The Emergency Management Team, including the Health Department, continues to be in constant contact with the Universities and the State Department of Public Health and we are closely monitoring the daily changes. At this time, the phase 3 guidelines will remain in place, and we will continue to keep the community updated. The town is actively working to offer expanded testing that will be available to residents over the next few weeks”, said Ms. Kupchick.

As a result of this change, the state recommends that high risk individuals should stay home and limit gatherings with non-family members. The guidance also recommends that indoor activities be postponed, and outdoor activities where mask wearing or social distancing cannot be maintained should be postponed. 

It’s extremely important for residents to stay home if a household member tests positive, if they are waiting for test results, or if they experience COVID-19 symptoms. 

For more information on Fairfield’s data visit www.fairfieldct.org/covid19data, for state data visit: https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus/COVID-19-Data-Tracker.