Norwalk Coronavirus Update: 5th Death Reported; New Orders Issued

NORWALK, CT — The fourth and fifth Norwalk residents died due to complications from the new coronavirus (COVID-19) this weekend, according to Mayor Harry Rilling, who issued three "critical emergency orders" on Sunday to further fight the spread of the virus.

The emergency orders (listed below) will go into effect at 8 p.m. on Monday. As of Sunday evening, Norwalk had 226 confirmed cases of COVID-19, an increase of 87 cases.

In Fairfield County, the number of confirmed cases reached 1,245 on Sunday, up from 908 the day before, Rilling said.

"I've asked nicely and implored the public to practice physical distancing and to treat this public health crisis seriously," Rilling said. "Unfortunately, many in our community are taking this too lightly. In the last 24 hours, we’ve had a 60 percent increase in cases and we now have over 200 positive cases. Extreme measures are necessary. These are drastic measures, but it is the only way we can slow this pandemic. Our health care system is going to be overloaded and that means more people getting sick and more people dying – not just from coronavirus, but from heart attacks, strokes, and other serious medical issues that require attention."

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The emergency orders are as follows:

1.) Vehicular traffic at all Norwalk parks and beaches, including Calf Pasture Beach, Taylor Farm, and Veteran's Park, will be restricted. This order does not affect Norwalk employees who require access.

2.) The maximum occupancy numbers inside all Norwalk businesses will be reduced to 50 percent of the Fire Marshal's previously established maximum occupancy numbers for each business. For example, if maximum occupancy for a business is 250 people then the new maximum occupancy for that business shall be 125 people. This will limit the number of people inside any store at any given moment in time. City officials also asked stores to immediately develop policies that limit members of the public from lining up at check-out or outside stores in tightly formed groups. City officials want to make sure stores take necessary actions to ensure visitors are exercising physical distances of at least six feet from each other.

3.) Norwalk families are to limit themselves to only one family member at the same time per visit to a Norwalk store, and exemptions are made for single parents, caregivers, and other situations where it is not feasible to leave a person home.

On Saturday, Rilling also suspended the city's Carry-Out Bag Ordinance, which restricted the use of single-use plastic bags by retail establishments and instituted a 10-cent charge for paper bags. Retail stores are now permitted to stock single-use plastic bags for customers, and cannot charge 10-cents for paper bags. This ordinance is suspended until further notice.

"I understand that families, especially those with young children, are experiencing cabin fever staying at home," Rilling said. "However, taking the entire family out to a store to get out of the house during the COVID-19 outbreak is unnecessarily dangerous to both your family and everyone else in the store. To the extent that it is at all possible, I request that you not allow more than one family member to go at the same time to a store. Norwalk – I am pleading with you – take this crisis seriously. Protect yourselves and your families. Stay home and save lives."

Mayor Rilling issued these orders under the powers of a Civil Preparedness Declaration he signed on March 14, 2020.