Ridgefield Drops Mask Mandate For Vaccinated

RIDGEFIELD, CT — If you needed another sign that Connecticut was turning the coronavirus corner, look no further: Ridgefield lifted its mask mandate for the vaccinated on Friday.

The announcement came at 4 p.m., and was effective immediately.

First Selectman Rudy Marconi said the decision was supported by a majority of the COVID Task Force which monitors numbers daily and meets weekly to discuss policy changes based on scientific data.

Despite strong numbers over most of the summer, Marconi took cues from neighboring Danbury, Bethel, Brookfield and Redding and implemented the mask mandate for vaccinated residents in mid-August. Gov. Ned Lamont empowered municipal leaders to tighten mask restrictions through an executive order a week earlier.

Ridgefield had an average of 8.9 daily cases per 100,000 residents and a positive test rate of 2.6 percent between Sept. 5 and Sept. 18, and 70.19 percent of the town's population has been fully vaccinated, according to the state Department of Public Health.

Although the vaccinated in Ridgefield have the option to shuck the mask, state mandates still require the unvaccinated to cover their faces indoors. Masks also remain non-negotiable for everyone in health care facilities, public and private transit, facilities housing vulnerable populations, schools, correctional facilities, and in child care settings. The latest state guidance may be found online here.