New Canaan Coronavirus: Restaurants Banned From Dine-In Service

NEW CANAAN, CT — Restaurants in New Canaan are banned from dine-in service, beginning on Monday, March 16, due to ongoing concerns over the new coronavirus (COVID-19), according to Mike Handler, the town's director of Emergency Management.

An end date for the temporary ban was not disclosed, but officials are encouraging restaurants to implement curb-side pickup an delivery options for patrons.

Grocery stores, gas stations, parks and pharmacies are remaining open, but playgrounds, gyms, and the New Canaan Playhouse will be closed.

"These actions will remain in effect until further notice and as we gain greater visibility, we will certainly advise everyone," Handler said in a Sunday night message on the town's website. "Clearly, these actions are being taken because we are serious about discouraging mass social contact."

In a Saturday evening message, Handler hinted that drastic action would be needed to fight the spread of the virus, and he chastised residents who were not taking the situation seriously.

"Our number one priority is to slow the spread of the virus throughout our community," Handler said. "What we do or don’t do over the next week will have a massive impact on the local and perhaps national trajectory of this pandemic. When we say people should not be gathering in groups, we are referring to adults and children, both out in town and in private homes. We cannot stress this enough. We did not close our schools to make room for house parties and group playdates."

Below are Handler's messages from Saturday and Sunday:

Good Evening,

It is 7:00 pm on March 15th and this is Emergency Management Director Mike Handler with an
important update on the novel coronavirus. We cannot stress enough the need to continue to
properly wash your hands and maintain social distancing. Our efforts to slow the spread of the
virus throughout our community continues and today we are making the following
adjustments. Commencing tomorrow, March 16th, by order of the Director of Health all food
establishments are prohibited from all in restaurant and outside service. We strongly support
and encourage local restaurant curb-side pick-up and delivery. All Pharmacies will remain
open; however, we will be working with our local pharmacies to maintain social distancing at
prescription drug counters. All grocery stores and gas stations will remain open. The New
Canaan Playhouse movie theatre will be closed. All commercial gyms and fitness centers will be
closed. All nail and hair salons are required to serve by appointment only. All town
playgrounds will be closed; however, our parks will remain open and we encourage their use
provided people are not gathering in groups. These actions will remain in effect until further
notice and as we gain greater visibility, we will certainly advise everyone. Clearly, these actions
are being taken because we are serious about discouraging mass social contact.

On a separate note, we are aware that there are many rumors circulating that involve specific
businesses and individuals. Please remember that this type of behavior, while commonplace, is
distracting to our team and destructive to our community. We trust we can count on everyone
to be sensitive and compassionate in this time of stress.

On behalf of First Selectman Moynihan and the entire emergency management team, thank
you for your continued support.

Mike Handler

Good Evening,

It is 7:00 pm on March 14th and this is Emergency Management Director Mike Handler with an
important update on the novel coronavirus. Our number one priority is to slow the spread of
the virus throughout our community. What we do or don’t do over the next week will have a
massive impact on the local and perhaps national trajectory of this pandemic. When we say
people should not be gathering in groups, we are referring to adults and children, both out in
town and in private homes. We cannot stress this enough. We did not close our schools to
make room for house parties and group playdates. The actions that we all take today have
serious consequences for our seniors and medically fragile tomorrow. This is our best
opportunity to try and keep those who need intensive care from needing it when it is least
available. The science behind this is indisputable. We know this is not easy, but we must ask
for your cooperation or face having to place greater restrictions on the community. This is not
easy. We are here to protect you and assist in any way possible.

Thank you,

Mike Handler

Flattening the Pandemic Curve
Why are social distancing and strict limits on social gathering so important? I am hopeful that
by appreciating the answers to these questions we, as a community, will begin to realize how
our actions can dramatically affect the impact the novel coronavirus has on others. What we
do right now really matters. This is not about reducing the total number of individuals who get
sick. This is about reducing the number of individuals who get sick at one particular time
because our healthcare system has capacity limitations. While our hospitals have plans to
handle traditional “surge,” they do not have anywhere near what is projected in the case of the
novel coronavirus. This is the difference between having enough critical care beds and
ventilators to care for our loved ones when they need them the most versus a very grim
alternative. We have learned this by witnessing what is happening in other affected countries.
The following graph “Flattening the Curve” illustrates the value of aggressive protective
measures. Because it cannot be said enough, the best protective measures we can take are
social distancing, limits on social gathering and thorough handwashing.