First Selectman Kevin Moynihan Praises Coronavirus Efforts

NEW CANAAN, CT — The number of coronavirus-related deaths in New Canaan rose by one on Friday to 24, and new confirmed cases of the virus 190, according to First Selectman Kevin Moynihan.

Statewide as of Friday there were 28,764 confirmed cases and 2,339 deaths. Fairfield County continues to lead all counties in the state in both categories with 11,612 cases and 839 deaths.

Current coronavirus hospitalizations in Connecticut dropped by 58 to 1,592 as of Friday, but the number of coronavirus-related deaths in nursing homes spiked in the past week to 958 as of May 1. (View Patch's Coronavirus Timeline "From Party Zero to 27,000 Cases")

In the message below, Moynihan gives residents an update on the town's response in combating the new coronavirus (COVID-19), and praised officials' efforts on behalf of residents:

Good evening. It is 7:00 pm on Friday, May 1st, and this is Kevin Moynihan. Mike Handler is taking an evening off and I wanted to give you an update as your First Selectman.

Sixty days ago, on March 2nd, we had our first meeting of community officials and school leaders on the novel coronavirus. Since then, our Emergency Operations Team, known as the “EOC”, led by our Emergency Management Director Mike Handler, has been implementing our established Emergency Operation Plan for this unprecedented medical pandemic.

Working with our indomitable Health Director Jenn Eielson, and our two excellent Medical Directors, Dr. David Reed for the Town and Dr. Harrison Pierce for the School District, Mike has taken a leadership position in reacting quickly in preparing for the arrival of the novel coronavirus in early March.

We have an incredibly talented and experienced EOC under Mike’s leadership with Police Chief Leon Krolikowski, Fire Chief Jack Hennessy, EMT Captain Phil Sheibley, CERT Director Stuart Sawabini, Superintendent of Schools Bryan Luizzi and several of our Town Department Heads. I am very grateful for their dedication and service to our town in very difficult circumstances.

I am very proud of the work that our EOC Team performed early on to procure and distribute hundreds of thousands of Personal Protective Equipment to all of our neighboring towns’ first responders, hospitals and senior living facilities through the generosity and logistical support of Grace Farms Foundation, under the leadership of Sharon Prince. Grace Farms has also been providing thousands of meals to those in need in surrounding communities.

The EOC Team and CERT also successfully distributed over 12,000 masks to our residents last Saturday and the Health Department has delivered thousands more masks to our seniors at home and to our restaurants and small businesses.

I am also very proud of the work of our Human Services Department, led by Bethany Zaro, in coordinating and arranging grocery shopping for hundreds of our seniors with a couple hundred community volunteers, working with Staying Put, our churches and various clubs,
I am grateful for the assistance that Superintendent of Schools Bryan Luizzi and the Schools’ cafeteria has provided in delivering food and meals weekly to a few hundred of our school children and seniors in need.

I am thankful to all of our residents for your patience and cooperation in abiding by the Governor’s Stay at Home order and for learning social distancing and wearing masks to protect others when out in public when social distancing may not be possible.

As you’ve seen in the past few days, with the opening of the trails at Waveny and Irwin Parks last
weekend, and with the Governor’s announcement yesterday of a hoped for May 20th re-opening of restaurants for outdoor dining and retail stores and barber shops and personal service stores, we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel for a measured and disciplined re-opening of our local economy. We will have more information on this in the next few days and weeks.

In closing, I would note that we now have had 190 confirmed positive cases of Covid-19 in New Canaan among residents and staff at Waveny Care Center and Silver Hill Hospital and we have one more death of an elderly resident at Waveny Care for a total of 24 deaths. We grieve for these losses and our thoughts and prayers are with their families.

I also must confirm the bad news that we will have to cancel our traditional Memorial Day Parade and our Family Fourth Fireworks at Waveny. We will have an appropriate alternative ceremony on Memorial Day to commemorate our fallen veterans, and we invite ideas and suggestions for celebrating the 4th of July in a social distancing mode.

Thank you again for staying safe at home and observing social distancing protocols when out on our trails or in downtown. I wish you all a relaxing weekend.

Kevin Moynihan