Coronavirus Update-Cases, Town Resources & Budget Questions
April 2nd - CT DPH reports 3,824 laboratory-confirmed statewide cases with 2,132 or 56% in Fairfield County and 51 in Wilton. Statewide deaths rose 32% to 112. The number of cases requiring hospitalization increased to 827, with 381 in Fairfield County. Additional hospital beds are being made available in Fairfield County, including temporary facilities and by redirecting non-COVID-19 hospitalizations.
We continue to think the actual number of cases statewide is higher than reported. 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.
Results of testing performed in Iceland is receiving a great deal of attention. In February, they began testing self-selected members of the population. With approximately five percent of the population tested, 50% of the those testing positive had no symptoms. Another reason to behave as if you have the virus and as if those around you do as well.
There are a number of mental health resources available to residents. We have made it easy to find those resources with a new page on our website.
Please remember that many town services can be accessed online.
When at the Transfer Station, please follow the directions of town employees and respect the signage.
We understand there was confusion today about access to Kristine Lilly Way. The road is open, including to walkers, runners and bikers.
Today, the Governor issued Executive Order 7T, which among others, places restrictions on hotels and rentals of less than 30 days and further expands establishments allowed to deliver or sell alcohol products.
Yesterday’s Executive Order 7S mandates the town offer opportunities for some taxpayers to defer payment of their July 1st tax bill interest free or at a low interest rate. Further details were not provided, so at this point, we aren’t able to quantify the potential impact to the Town’s first quarter FY2021 cash flow. We are holding a Tri-Board meeting on April 9th to discuss EO 7S and others that impact the FY2021 budget and mill rate.
The Governor released Safe Store Rules.
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 don’t regularly check Messenger. I am not on Wilton 412.
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.
- Consolidate your shopping and errands to minimize the numbers of days you must leave your home.
- Please do not to run to the store every time you hear a delivery has arrived. Widespread overbuying is the major cause of shortages. With businesses and schools closed and not ordering, new supply chains are open.
- 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