Marconi: No Mandatory Mask Rules At This Time In Ridgefield

RIDGEFIELD, CT — The Ridgefield COVID Task Force has resumed weekly meetings to monitor the town status, First Selectman Rudy Marconi announced Wednesday.

The move is a reaction to the continued spread of the COVID-19 delta variant and the surge in hospitalizations, according to a news release from the Office of Emergency Management.

The Ridgefield COVID Task Force, formed last November to "help Ridgefield better understand how the state provided data affects the town's response," ceased meeting regularly earlier this year as COVID-19 infection rates dropped.

"We resumed regular meetings two weeks ago because it is critical that our community continues to receive clear, accurate and actionable information and that we have experienced voices to help us determine the best path for our town," Marconi said.

While some towns in Connecticut have opted for mandatory mask rules, Marconi said that's not currently in the cards for Ridgefield.

"If you are not vaccinated or you are concerned, please wear your mask," the first selectman said.

Ridgefield Public Schools will require that students and staff continue to wear masks inside school buildings, absent any new guidance from Gov. Ned Lamont.

As of Aug. 4, a little over 68 percent of Ridgefield residents are fully vaccinated against the virus, with about 72 percent having received their first dose, according to the state Department of Public Health. Heath officials consider residents fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine.

Dr. Maher Madhoun, a member of the Ridgefield COVID Task Force and an infectious disease specialist for Stamford Health, said that most of the seriously ill and hospitalized patients he is seeing are unvaccinated young adults in their twenties and early thirties, and that the vaccinated population can spread the disease even if they are asymptomatic.

The daily coronavirus positivity rate in Connecticut dropped back below 3 percent in the latest data released by the Department of Public Health on Tuesday.

Currently, the United States is reporting 75,000 new cases per day, up from a low of 11,000 cases per day just six weeks ago. Deaths have also risen by 31 percent, according to a Washington Post report.

The surge in cases has been driven largely by the highly contagious delta variant. While it’s unclear whether the delta variant makes people sicker, experts believe it spreads more easily because of mutations, making it better at latching onto cells in our bodies, according to an Associated Press report.

Locally, Ridgefield residents can get the COVID-19 vaccine at RVNAhealth, Stop & Shop and Walgreen Pharmacy. For the complete list of vaccination clinics in Connecticut, see the state website.