First Selectman Fred Camillo Stands By Mask Mandate In Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — During his weekly COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday, First Selectman Fred Camillo pushed back against those who say masks are ineffective and not needed.

Last week, Camillo issued an order that states masks must be worn in public places such as Town Hall and other town buildings, offices, private businesses and restaurants, when social distancing isn't possible.

"It's just a temporary measure to get us through this. It's not the end of the world," Camillo said Wednesday. "When you go into a building in a common area, wear a mask. If you're at a table or a desk [at work], you don't have to wear one if you're far away from people. If you're on line in a store, that's a common area. If you're walking around in a busy hallway, that's a common area."

Camillo said some gyms have complained, saying they've lost business because of the order. Camillo said people can take their mask off if they're away from people, but he keeps his on at the gym to "send the message" that they should be worn. He stressed that the mask order is not intended to hurt businesses.

Camillo also said he's received complaints from residents who say masks aren't effective and they take away freedoms.

"The American Journal of Medicine, the New England Journal of Medicine, the annals of internal medicine, the CDC, the local health department, state health department, Greenwich Hospital... Everybody can't be wrong on this," Camillo said of the science behind masks.

"The argument about freedom, I can't buy. I'm finding with certain people you're never going to convince them. I always tell people, if you don't care about your own health, care about your neighbor and your family members. And if you don't care about them, then that says an awful lot," he added.

Both Camillo and Greenwich Hospital president Diane Kelly praised "the majority of residents" who are masking-up.

"We really appreciate that people are taking this stand in the public. We have the science behind us and we hope it's going to be short lived," Kelly said.

Camillo said the idea behind the mandate is to prevent restrictions from being handed down by the state if cases continue to increase.

"The overwhelming majority of people are doing the right thing. We're very proud of them and they're looking out for their neighbor and looking out for their friends and strangers. They want to get to the other end of this," Camillo said. "Let's get to the other side of this, and we can get there quicker, sooner rather than later, by just having a minor inconvenience for however long. We need to do it. Otherwise it will be long, and you will have event cancelations and you will have capacity limits imposed on us by the state. We're trying to stay ahead of that."

Last week, Camillo also issued a vaccine requirement for town employees. Those who don't get vaccinated by Sept. 27 will have to submit to weekly COVID-19 testing.

Camillo said he has not received any negative feedback from town employees about the order. He noted that he plans to meet with Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday to discuss COVID-19 and other issues in Greenwich.

The Latest COVID-19 Numbers In Greenwich

Numbers are rising slightly in Greenwich and across the Yale New Haven Health System.

Since Aug. 18, there has been an increase of 81 COVID-19 cases in Greenwich, although active cases have decreased by nine to 69. In total, 5,478 cases have been reported in Greenwich since the pandemic began in March of 2020.

As of Wednesday, there are 14.1 cases per 100,000 people, an increase of 1.5 since last week. After several months of no new deaths reported, a resident passed away over the past week, bringing the total COVID-19 death toll in Greenwich to 90.

At Greenwich Hospital as of Wednesday, there were 11 COVID-19 patients being treated, including two in the Intensive Care Unit; one of those patients is on a ventilator. Kelly noted that of the 11 patients, 10 are unvaccinated.

Across Yale New Haven Health System, Kelly said there were 136 patients being treated in hospitals as of Wednesday, up from 117. Of the 136, 100 are unvaccinated.

"There's a very important message here. It's not too late to get your vaccine," Kelly said.

Camillo noted that of the vaccine-eligible population in town which is about 52,000, 77.62 percent of people are fully vaccinated, and 84 percent have at least one shot.

"We're doing well there, but hopefully these measures we've put in place will get us through this period where people are coming back into town, and unfortunately bringing the virus with them from other locations," Camillo said.

With September approaching and the need for booster shots increasing, Kelly said Greenwich Hospital is "starting to think through the process" of getting booster shots for the broader public.

Currently, third shots for those who received Pfizer or Moderna are available at the hospital's 500 W. Putnam Ave. location.

"What we'll be looking at is how do you start to expand that as the recommendations expand," Kelly said.

Kelly's hopeful that with the recent FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine for those age 16 and up, more people will get the shot.

"That is the number one reason we hear people saying why they're not getting it. To be honest with you, that really doesn't match with the science because the science is behind these shots," Kelly said. "If that was a barrier to people, I'm very hopeful that they'll take that to heart and move forward and get the vaccine."

For more information on COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots for the immunocompromised from Yale New Haven Health, click here.