Coronavirus Update- Exciting News, Food Pantry Re-Opening, Regional Planning and Cases

April 13th – Today’s update begins with exciting news.  Chief of Police John Lynch is now the proud grandfather of Kiera Grey Lynch, born today at 3:45pm, despite the rain, the wind and the coronavirus!  Please join me in congratulating Chief Lynch and Kiera’s parents John and Kate.

There is further cautious good news.  The demand for isolation and/or patient housing is such, that we have put a hold on any further efforts to ready Miller-Driscoll for patients.  The school will continue as our third priority location, but for the time being will remain inactive.  The likelihood of requiring Comstock, our fourth priority location, has diminished enough that the food pantry will re-open in the next few days with access restricted to Social Services Director Sarah Heath and clients.  Donations should still continue to be dropped off at the shed in the parking lot in front of Police Headquarters. Today, due to forecasted high winds, the shed was temporarily moved, but will return tomorrow.

This decision should not be seen as a relaxing of requirements.  Cases are still increasing in Wilton and Fairfield County. It is still critical to continue to behave as if you have the virus and as if those around you do as well.

The ability of Wiltonians to look beyond themselves at this time, as demonstrated by support for Wilton seniors, meals, medical supplies and handmade supplies provided to emergency responders and medical personnel and donations to the Food Pantry, which on Sunday opened with its largest quantity of items since the emergency, is uplifting and a reminder of what makes Wilton special. 

Today Governor Lamont, along with the six other Governors from Massachusetts to Delaware, announced they are“forming a multi-state council that will work to develop a fully integrated regional framework to gradually lift the states’ stay at home orders while minimizing the risk of increased spread of the virus.

The group will be comprised of one health expert, one economic development expert, and the respective chief of staff from each state. Governor Lamont said that Connecticut’s representatives on the group will include Indra Nooyi, who is the co-chair of the nonprofit organization AdvanceCT and former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo; Albert Ko, MD, who is a professor of Epidemiology and Medicine and a department chair at the Yale School of Public Health; and Paul Mounds Jr., who serves as chief of staff in the Office of the Governor."

In turn, AdvanceCT announced that it is “forming the Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group, which will consist of experts within the state’s medical and business community who will examine issues concerning how best to reopen the state’s economy.”

Today CT DPH reports 13,381 laboratory-confirmed statewide cases with 6,007 or 45% in Fairfield County and 95 in Wilton. Approximately 3.7% of total reported cases have not yet been assigned to a municipality.  Deaths have risen to 602, with 262 in Fairfield County. The number of cases currently hospitalized increased to 1,760 with an increase of 21 to 710 in Fairfield County.  Stamford experienced a 15% increase in cases or 197 additional cases, bringing their total cases to 1486 or 1.14% of their population.  Wilton case total equals .51% of our population. 

The Governor did not issue an executive order today.

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.  If the store parking lot is more than half full, return and home and shop at another time.
• 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