Coronavirus New Haven: Mayor Declares State Of Emergency

NEW HAVEN, CT — New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker issued a state of emergency amidst the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. New Haven health officials have also been notified of a second confirmed New Haven resident having COVID-19.

Here is is statement:

"Given the growing spread of this virus in our city, state, and country, I am declaring a state of emergency in the City of New Haven to protect the public health of our residents. There is no doubt that COVID-19 will continue to spread in our community, and I will take every measure appropriate to limit exposure to our residents. I have also made the decision to close City Hall to the public tomorrow, and indefinitely. We are curtailing all activities except critical functions until further notice. City employees that are not critical to operations will be notified that they should not report to work. Over the next several days, our team will be evaluating our employee safety and operations protocol, in addition to increasing options for teleworking where possible. If you are a member of the business community, I strongly encourage you to have only essential employees report to work, provide options for employees to telework and do what you can to support paid leave and reduce any chance of further spread of COVID-19.

As of this morning, we have a second confirmed case of COVID-19 and a third presumed case. The two New Haven residents had been exhibiting systems of COVID-19. Since they initially did not meet the CDC travel criteria, they were not tested but told by the New Haven Health Department to self-isolate as a precautionary measure. One of these two residents’ symptoms worsened, and the individual admitted themselves to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where they were tested and confirmed to have COVID-19. The other individual is considered a presumptive case and has been hospitalized as of this afternoon, but we do not yet have laboratory confirmation of COVID-19. Both individuals will continue to be monitored by the New Haven Health Department, and we will continue to inform you of any updates regarding the situation."