Mask Mandate Lifted In Fairfield

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield’s indoor face mask mandate has been lifted about a month after it was first announced amid the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus.

“I have made the decision to lift Fairfield's current indoor mask mandate effective immediately and follow the CDC guidance that recommends masks be worn indoors and when in close contact with others,” First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said Friday in an email to residents.

Kupchick cited health experts, who believe the recent wave of delta variant infections has peaked both in Connecticut and, about two weeks ago, in Fairfield.

The town was in the state’s red zone of more than 15 daily cases per 100,000 residents over two weeks when Kupchick announced the mandate in mid-August as part of a joint effort with Westport and Easton. Fairfield has since dropped into the orange zone, with an average daily rate of 11.9 cases.

Additionally, Fairfield County was downgraded this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from a high transmission area to a substantial transmission area, according to Kupchick. Connecticut’s coronavirus test positivity rate Friday was 2.16 percent.

Since the Fairfield mandate was introduced, the town’s percentage of vaccinated residents has climbed from about 65 percent to 67 percent, with 71 percent of Fairfielders having received at least one dose of the vaccine.

“Vaccination is the most importance defense against severe illness and hospitalization from COVID-19,” Kupchick said in the email. “The most severe cases tend to be in unvaccinated individuals.”

Of the 2.43 million Connecticut residents who are fully vaccinated, only 0.58 percent have contracted the virus, according to Kupchick, who said the unvaccinated are 14 times likelier to die of COVID-19.

In Connecticut, unvaccinated people are required to wear masks indoors, regardless of municipal policy, and masks are mandated despite vaccination status in certain settings, including medical, childcare and transportation environments. Kupchick emphasized Friday that she had no authority to change Gov. Ned Lamont’s executive order requiring masks in schools. Businesses also are free to mandate masks for employees and customers.

“I hope our residents will be respectful of the decisions of businesses that chose to require masks or not, and to also be respectful to residents in town who choose to wear a mask, or not,” Kupchick said in the email.