More Connecticut Towns Are Now Requiring Masks Indoors

CONNECTICUT — Mandatory mask-wearing has returned to several Connecticut cities and towns, as COVID-19 infection levels rise with the spread of the more contagious delta variant.

The problem with any kind of statewide masking mandate, according to Gov. Ned Lamont, is that vaccination rates in Connecticut towns vary so widely. Some municipalities, like Canaan, have overseen the vaccination of nearly their entire population. Others, such as Mansfield, where less than 34 percent of the residents were vaccinated as of Thursday, have a ways to go.

The governor's solution was to sign an executive order on Aug. 5 empowering town and city leaders to require masks in indoor public places within their local jurisdiction for all residents, regardless of vaccination status.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker was the first to take Lamont up on his offer. The mask mandate for Connecticut's second-largest city went into effect on Aug. 9, and would set the tone for the flurry of other towns' orders to follow. Masks are required in all establishments open to the public, including bars, restaurants, theaters, stores, and gyms.

Shortly after Elicker declared his intentions to re-mask the city, Joe Ganim, mayor of the state's largest city, announced Bridgeport's intentions to follow suit, on Aug. 10.

"We can't afford to take a step back to closures or capacity mandates - but we can use better judgement and make an easy adjustment to our own behaviors by simply getting vaccinated, and return to putting on a mask," Ganim said in a statement.

According to Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, the city's COVID-19 case rate doubled in the week leading up to his declaration of that city's new mask mandate, which went into effect Aug. 11 at midnight.

Stamford Mayor David Martin described his city's mandate that masks be worn in all retail and indoor public spaces in the city, regardless of vaccination status, as "a proactive measure against COVID-19 and the emerging delta variant."

Masks are also required at all outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people in Stamford-owned parks and facilities. The order went into effect 8 a.m. on Aug. 12.

Mayor Harry Rilling ordered that masks be required in all Norwalk establishments, regardless of a person's coronavirus vaccination status, as of last Friday.

"Last year, we began seeing a resurgence in cases in late September, however we are starting to see that trend happen now. Transmission is high, and we are following the CDC guidelines," Rilling said in a statement.

In a statement released Wednesday, Danbury Mayor Joe Cavo said he wanted to "get ahead of the variant spread" and issued an order requiring both unvaccinated and vaccinated to everyone in the city to wear masks at all times while in public indoor settings. The new order went into effect Sunday. Both Cavo and Rilling were critical of Lamont's town-by-town approach to mask mandates.

Cavo said he believed "a regional approach would be the most effective way to issue this mandate," and expressed hope that Brookfield, Bethel, and Ridgefield would issue similar directives. On Friday, those neighboring towns got on board with new mask mandates of their own, and were joined by Redding and New Fairfield.

The cooperation in southwest Connecticut was notable as several of the towns now issuing mandates have strong vaccination rates. Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi had even issued a statement on Wednesday predicting further mask restrictions would not be necessary in his town. Reversing course on Friday, the first selectman said that the prime motivation for the mandate was to protect the vulnerable under-12 population who are not yet eligible for a vaccine.

Schools are poised to be the next masking battlefield in Connecticut, and the fight promises to be a hard-fought one.

According to the New York Times, the delta variant is causing a surge in pediatric COVID-19 cases, hospitalizing an age demographic once thought to be relatively safe from its ravages. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending masking for teachers, students and visitors to K-12 schools, but most Connecticut schools are still awaiting guidance from Lamont and the state Department of Public Health.

In a recent Patch survey, over 53 percent of readers said they would be opposed to a mask mandate for students in Connecticut public schools this fall.

See also: The Mask Wars: Where Do Connecticut Patch Readers Stand?

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