Boughton: 'Multiple Cases' Of Confirmed Coronavirus In Danbury

DANBURY, CT — In what has become a regular video update on how the City is working to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, Mayor Mark Boughton told residents on social media that there were "multiple cases of confirmed COVID-19... in the City of Danbury."

The reveal comes one day following the news that two elderly men, one in Ridgefield, the second in New Canaan, died from the virus Wednesday. A total of 96 people in Connecticut have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Thursday morning.

The mayor took the lion's share of the 1:21 video to urge businesses to shutter, and/or have their employees work from home:

"If you're a daycare center, and you can shut down, we are strongly recommending that you do that. If you're a business and you can allow your workforce to work from home, please — do that!," the mayor said. "If you want to go out, we ask that you do so by yourself, and not gather with groups of people in public parks and public spaces."

Boughton said that he anticipates an order from Gov. Ned Lamont shortly that will close all hair salons, barber shops and nail salons in the state. Some neighboring municipal governments, exercising special powers granted while they operate under a State of Emergency, have already closed their grooming and beauty businesses. [1] [2]

The state has already closed gyms, restaurants, and theaters, and the mayor implored businesses on that list to "please close."

"If not, we will be out there enforcing (the regulations) all this weekend," Boughton said, "and it is a Class 'E' felony if you ignore it."

You can see the video on the mayor's Facebook page here.