Coronavirus Update-Cases, Questions & Storybooks

April 8th – Tonight is the first night of Passover. Whether or not you observe, the holiday is a reminder of historical triumphs over adversity, which should give us all hope as we work through this crisis.

As promised, today I executed Executive Order #4, Enforcement of Closed Playing Fields and Recreational Facilities. Here are a few questions and answers from today:

• Are the school parking lots still open and available for biking? Yes, the parking lots are open for biking and walking.
• Is walking around the perimeter of the playing fields allowed? No, though you can walk on the trails through Allen’s Meadow.
• Where can I find the list of closed fields and facilities? The list is in the executive order, a link to which can be found on the Town’s website on the Parks & Recreation Department page and under News & Announcements. The website also has a search feature.

Other enforcement and notification efforts will be in effect over the weekend. Three members of the Parks and Recreation staff will be monitoring the playing fields and other recreational facilities. The electronic signs are being moved to the area.

We are also receiving questions about our dog leashing laws. Dogs are allowed off leash, but under the direct control of the owner on all town-owned trails, except for Cherry Park, Town Forest and Schenck’s Island. They are also allowed off leash on these Wilton Land Trust Preserves: Gregg, Harrison Smith and Marble/Van Haelwyn. Dogs must be on leash on the NRVT, which is on state-owned land.

Others have asked about the status of Town employees. All Town employees are being paid. Police and fire personnel are working their normal schedules. All other employees are working reduced on-site hours and/or working from home. Board of Education employees are being paid. All, with the exception of the custodial staff, are working from home. The school custodians are being redeployed as needed by the Town. The school nurses are employees of the Visiting Nurses Association and contracted by the Town. Those nurses are being redeployed by the Town to supplement health department and public health nursing needs. The school bus drivers are employees of the bus company. As per the Governor’s Executive Order, the BOE is working with the bus company to reimburse wage and health benefit costs for those drivers.

It has been 4 weeks since we closed the schools, Comstock and Trackside and the Wilton Library and the Wilton Y voluntarily closed on our recommendation. Wilton parents, hang in there, we feel your pain. There has been tremendous uncertainty for those three non-profits and other Wilton non-profits and businesses. Tomorrow evening, the Boards of Selectmen, Education and Finance will collectively meet to begin discussions about the impact on the FY2021 budget and taxpayers. The meeting will be live-streamed on the Town’s website.

The Wilton Library Association and Wilton Firefighters are teaming up to present Firefighter Story Time on Friday at 11:00am. This Friday features Captain Jim Blanchfield and firefighter John Krozer. Details and registration are available on the Library’s Website. Wilton Police continue their storybook reading on the Wilton Police Department Facebook page. If your children haven’t yet met the new school resource officer, Elise Ackerman, you can watch her reading from yesterday.

Today, CT DPH reports 8,781 laboratory-confirmed statewide cases with 4,417 or 50% in Fairfield County and 86 in Wilton. Today saw a drop in Fairfield County’s share of cases, as the virus spreads to our north. Sadly, deaths have risen to 335. Approximately 4% of total reported cases have not yet been assigned to a municipality. The number of cases requiring hospitalization increased to 1,418 with 665 in Fairfield County.

If you have received a confirmed or presumptive positive test and you have not been contacted by the Wilton Health Department, please contact the department. Department members are out in the field, so they can be reached more quickly through email.

Please follow the rules and behave as if you have the virus and as if those around you do as well.

As of 9:45pm, the Governor has not issued a new executive order.

As always, if you have any questions, please email the appropriate town department or me. Email is the preferred means of communication because most employees are working from home. I have immediate access to my email and try to respond promptly. If you contact me on Facebook, know that my response will be delayed, as I only check my F S Lynne Vanderslice Facebook account a few times a day. I generally don’t use Messenger and have limited ability to access it.

Thank you,
Lynne Vanderslice

First Selectwoman

What should you do to stop the spread?

• Stay home.
• Maintain a distance of 6 feet between you and another person. This standard applies whether inside or outside.
• Respect the Governor’s prohibition on social or recreational gatherings of more than 5 people, including leisure gatherings.
• Consolidate your shopping and errands to minimize the numbers of days you must leave your home.
• Take advantage of the delivery options offered by many Wilton businesses.
• Practice your team sport on your own, not with your teammates. The internet is full of videos and suggestions on how to do this.
• Do walk outside. If your street is walkable, please consider walking there rather than a public trail. When the NRVT parking lot, or that of another trail, is more than 50% full, please find another place to walk. There are 127 miles of town-owned roads, more than 80 private roads and more than 3 miles of sidewalk on state-owned roads.
• Please respect the town’s closure of fields and recreation facilities. 

Visual of Connecticut Cases by Town