Coronavirus Danbury: Halloween Different, Hybrid Learning Delayed

DANBURY, CT — The public schools are delaying their return to physical classrooms, and Halloween looks to be very different this year, thanks to the coronavirus.

Superintendent Sal Pascarella announced Friday night that school buildings scheduled to reopen Monday morning for in hybrid attendance model would instead remain closed, as the city continued to wrestle with a spike in coronavirus cases.

"At the K-5 level, this means students will continue with their current teacher and their distance learning schedule they have been in since September. At the 6-12 level, students will begin their revised bell schedule as posted in PowerSchool," Pascarella said in a note to parents

Due to school closures, the SATs, scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, are also canceled..

Danbury is considered by the state as a red zone municipality, having 15 or more COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population per day over a two-week average. There were 96 new coronavirus cases over three days at the end of last week, and another 18 on Saturday. State guidance for red zone towns is to cancel public events and limit community gathering points.

The district has not set a date for when it might try again to open the schools for students.

Mayor Mark Boughton has advised city residents that the Health Department and police will be conducting "enforcement action" as needed to rein in large house parties.

"The State has clarified that under Phase 3 - private house parties whether they are indoor or outdoor, are limited to 25 people. We've had a large number of house parties this past weekend.," the mayor advised on social media.

Boughton also told residents not to give out candy at the door for trick-or-treaters, as "this is considered a high risk activity for transmission of the virus."

"Those homeowners that wish to participate in Halloween should use a bowl or box to place candy outside - avoiding face to face contact," he said.

Homeowners who do not wish to participate in the annual tradition should leave their outside light off.

Deer Hill Avenue, which Boughton described as "a popular trick or treating location," will not be open for trick or treating this year.