Sept. 11 Code Red Transcript from Mayor "Pete" Hess

Naugatuck’s Unified Command Team

229 Church Street
Naugatuck, Connecticut 06770

September 11, 2020

Re: COVID-19 Code Red Transcript

Good Afternoon,

Today is September 11 at 5:00pm. Let's first of all take a moment to honor the memory of those who lost their lives on 9/11. The spirit of community that we all felt that 9/12 will serve as well as we draw on that sense of unity to help us as we continue to move ahead through today's challenges.

Recently in Naugatuck we have had two isolated events relating to the pandemic that have created a cause for concern on television and on social media. The purpose of this call today is to give you the real facts.

At this time, in Naugatuck, our community positive test rate is 0.4%. This is one of the lowest rates in the entire state. We have had four new cases in the past two weeks, and a total of nine cases in the past month, we are doing very well.

At unified command, we have been in contact with the health department, the school district, the YMCA, and others; all appropriate protocols have been followed. We have concluded that there is no cause for alarm, because of the recent announcement of one positive case at the high school and one case at the YMCA preschool. We have always anticipated that we will periodically have new cases, our plans at our schools, and at unified command are based on this assumption. We will be back to full speed at the high school on Monday. The disruption at Naugatuck High School was minimal, the high school has been sanitized, contact tracing has been completed. No child lost a beat in their education.

In conclusion, there is no cause for alarm and Naugatuck. We will continue to keep you informed. Stay healthy, follow the rules, stay Naugy smart and Naugy strong.

Thank you,

Pete Hess

Mayor
Borough of Naugatuck