Coronavirus Greenwich: Camillo Declares Local State Of Emergency

GREENWICH, CT — First Selectman Fred Camillo issued a Declaration of Local State of Emergency, effective immediately, late Monday afternoon. The announcement comes as the state, and the nation, grapples with the new coronavirus.

In a prepared statement, Camillo also announced a number of changes at Town Hall, which will be closed to the public and operate with "limited services and access" beginning Tuesday through at least April 3. (To sign up for Greenwich breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

Time-sensitive services will be provided by appointment only, and residents are asked to contact departments directly to request help and to allow sufficient time for a response. All face-to-face interaction should be extremely limited.

A majority of board and commission meetings scheduled to be held over the next three weeks will be canceled or moved to teleconference. Additionally, Camillo said the town's Emergency Operations Center's (EOC) status has been elevated from "open and monitoring" to "open and partial activation."

Private businesses must limit meeting room occupancy by half and must not exceed CDC guidelines of 50 people. This will further restrict the maximum number of individuals allowed in an enclosed spaced as determined by Greenwich fire marshals, including all rooms with a designated occupancy limit.

Reinforcing Gov. Ned Lamont's announcement Monday, all bars and restaurants that serve food will temporarily be required to move to take-out and delivery services only. Bars that do not serve food will be required to temporarily close. These measures take effect Monday at 8 p.m., Camillo said.

Town beaches, parks, the Griffith E. Harris Golf Course and open spaces will remain open, and limited bathrooms will be available at open town sites. Playground equipment is closed.

All indoor recreation facilities, such as the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center and the Bendheim Western Greenwich Civic Center, are closed to the public.

First responders will maintain their assigned shifts and schedules, however public access to the town's Public Safety Complex will be "extremely limited." All fire stations are closed to the public.

The Transfer Station will maintain its normal schedule, and commercial and private haulers can continue to access the site. All residents who must use the site are encouraged to limit their visits to "absolute necessity only."

The Grass Island Waste Water Treatment Plant is also closed the public, however septage haulers
can continue to access the site.

Residents are encouraged to sign-up for the town's emergency alert notification system at greenwichct.bbcportal. The most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19 is available at greenwichct.gov/covid19.