Greenwich To Adjust Mask Policy At Town Hall

GREENWICH, CT — As COVID-19 cases spike both locally and across the country, the Town of Greenwich is planning to adjust mask policy at Town Hall in order to prevent a larger outbreak.

First Selectman Fred Camillo and Greenwich Hospital President Diane Kelly gave an update on the virus in town on Wednesday, the first such media briefing in about two months.

Town Hall employees, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear masks in the building, although they won't need to wear one at their work stations. All visitors will also have to wear masks. Camillo said he recently spoke with Darien First Selectwoman Jayme Stevenson, who instituted the same policy at Darien Town Hall earlier this week. An official announcement is expected soon.

As of Wednesday, Greenwich had amassed 5,277 total COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began last year. From July 27 to Aug. 3, Greenwich recorded 52 new cases, of which about half were among unvaccinated people, according to Greenwich Health Director Caroline Baisley.

"It's certainly not much compared to a lot of places. We don't want it to get to a troublesome spot. We want to reconvene and stay on top of this and maybe adjust some policies a little bit," Camillo said. "We're tired of it, we're sick of it, we have fatigue. We love our freedom without the mask, but this is a rough patch. We didn't come all this way to give it all back."

Camillo stressed that nothing will be shut down and hours at Town Hall will not be shortened. He also reiterated that businesses can enforce mask wearing "as they see fit."

Fairfield County was labeled as a "substantial" level of coronavirus transmission as of Aug. 3, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC recommends that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in public if they live in an area with "substantial" or "high" transmission levels. Those who aren't fully vaccinated are urged to wear masks in those settings, regardless of transmission level.

"I'm encouraging people not to cancel things," Camillo added. "Get out there, go on with your lives, but when you're indoors and in close proximity to people, just be careful. This isn't going to last forever, but we certainly have enough warning right now for us to take a little action."

At Greenwich Hospital, there were six COVID-19-positive patients being treated as of Wednesday, with zero in the Intensive Care Unit. Kelly said that overall in the Yale New Haven Health System, hospitalizations are rising. There were 56 people being treated across the system as of Wednesday, of which 48 were not vaccinated.

Kelly noted that younger people are being hospitalized now. She urged people to wear masks and get vaccinated if they haven't done so yet.

"There's enough data in Connecticut and throughout the rest of the country showing that the vaccines are working," Kelly said, adding that testing continues to be an important tool.

Baisley said the delta variant "has put a new twist into the COVID-19 pandemic" since vaccinated people are testing positive and showing symptoms in "breakthrough" cases.

"Most of the breakthrough cases of people who come down with COVID-19, they have mild symptoms, but symptoms nevertheless. They can transmit the virus to others," Baisley said. "If someone should come in contact with the variant and get sick with COVID, once they come back into the house, everybody in the household gets sick. We've seen quite a few number of families, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, getting sick with COVID because it's so highly contagious."

Baisley strongly advises that people wear masks, regardless of vaccination status, both indoors and outdoors where social distancing isn't possible.

"Being vaccinated is a very important part of the equation. But we also have to stop the circulation of the virus at this point," she said. "I know it's uncomfortable, I know people are fed up, but this is the one you shouldn't fool with. This is a serious variant. Don't wait until someone tells you to put that mask on... If we don't fight it with the things we know will help, we're never going to beat this thing. We're never going to beat this thing if everyone is not on board."

Vaccine information

Locations of vaccine providers and how to contact them can be found here.

For homebound residents, the Family Health Division of the Health Department can provide assistance. Residents should contact their physician to request that a doctor’s order for a vaccine shot is forwarded to the Health Department. Doctors can contact the Family Health Division by calling 203-622-6495.

Testing information

• Greenwich Hospital and the Yale New Haven Health system can be found here.
• Community Health Center can be found here.
• Family Centers at Wilbur Peck Court can be found here.