What is social distancing? What is contact tracing? and other questions

The following are today's commonly asked questions:

What is and why practice social distancing?

For the protection of residents, employees and visitors to Wilton, the Town adopted the CDC’s non pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) recommended approach for a pandemic. Although a pandemic has not been officially declared, the Town is being proactive.  NPI is a three-pronged approach:  Personal, Environmental and Community. Social distancing is a key component of Community.

Social distancing means you maintain a greater than normal distance between yourself and others. Six feet is ideal, three feet is recommended as a minimal distance.  There will be times when this isn’t practical, but here are some examples when it is practical:  When attending meetings, leave a seat between yourself and the person adjacent and/or behind you.  When standing in line at the grocery store, step back and add more distance than normal.  When placing a take-out order, step back from the counter and then step away while waiting for your order.

We are also discouraging discretionary large gatherings and suggest, if possible, that the event be broken out into two or more smaller gatherings.  When determining room capacity, consider capacity at half the stated capacity, as each person will require more space.  Today, Governor Lamont announced the State's recommendation that events of 100 or more not be held.   

Learn more about NPI on this link.

What is contact tracing?

According to the World Health Organization, contact tracing is defined as the identification and follow-up of persons who may have come into contact with a person infected with the virus.

Who performs contact tracing?

Epidemiologists with the CT State Department of Public Health (DPH) perform contact tracing.  They notify individuals they have identified as having come in contact with a person infected with the virus.  DPH personnel provide information to the appropriate municipal health director.  State laws protect the confidentiality of the patient information.

Who shares the contact tracing results with the public?

Once DPH finishes their investigation, they determine what they will share with the public.

Where can I learn more about coronavirus in CT?

The State has comprehensive information on this link.

Please share this link with other residents you think would be interested. As always, please don't hesitate to contact me at Lynne.Vanderslice@wiltonct.org