Mayor Hess Issues Code Red Message on Friday

May 15, 2020

Re: COVID-19 Code Red Transcript

Good afternoon,

Today is May 15, at 5pm. Today's count in Naugatuck is 268. I do however need to inform you that we are going to see an increase in our numbers in the next few days.

The main purpose of my call is to tell you, do not be alarmed. There are several reasons why we're going to have an increase. The State has just completed point prevalence testing in our nursing homes. This means they tested everyone. There is a large number of new confirmed cases. Many of these cases are people who have no symptoms, and people who have already recovered. Now here's a direct quote from the health department, “an increase in cases associated with point prevalence surveying does not indicate a sudden increase in transmission.” In short, there is no increased risk to the public.

As we move forward into our third month of dealing with the virus and as we approach the new normal, we all need to rethink our strategies for staying healthy and sane. We're all in different situations, from young strong and raring to go, to older, not as healthy and fearful.

So how do we stay healthy and cope with the new normal? We need to remember our lives are not going to automatically get easier. We all need to get stronger and be more resilient. Resilience is the key ingredient in staying healthy and being Naugy Strong resilience is the ability to adapt to a problem and find a creative solution. Remember, our future is not determined by the stars, but by our own sweat, knowledge, and ability to adapt to change. We need to accept our new reality, adapt and put together a plan that works for all of us. It's our reaction to adversity that determines how our lives improve.

Stay Healthy, be resilient, and be Naugy Strong.

Pete Hess
Mayor
Borough of Naugatuck