Mayor Simmons Issues Mask Mandate Amid COVID-19 Surge In Stamford

STAMFORD, CT — In response to rising COVID-19 cases spurred on by the omicron variant, Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons has issued a mask mandate, regardless of vaccination status, for all indoor public places in the city. The mandate went into effect at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Simmons made the announcement Tuesday afternoon in front of the Stamford Government Center.

She was joined by Head of Infectious Disease at Stamford Hospital Dr. Asha Shah; Director of Public Safety Ted Jankowski; Acting Director of Health Jody Bishop-Pullan; Chief Health Officer at Family Centers Dennis Torres; and Vice President of Community Health Center's Western Region Amy Taylor.

"We feel this is an extremely important measure as we head into the holiday season, and with rising cases that we're seeing in Stamford, my number one priority is to keep the people of this city safe and healthy. This is based on strong guidance and recommendations from our public health experts at the city level, as well as at Stamford Hospital," Simmons said.

In her biweekly COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday night, Simmons noted that since Thanksgiving, Stamford's case rate has quadrupled. The city is currently experiencing over 40 cases per 100,000 on a seven-day average.

Stamford's positivity rate has jumped from 6 percent to over 8 percent since Thanksgiving, Simmons said.

Simmons also said hospitalizations at Stamford Hospital have doubled over the past few weeks.

"I know this is not exciting or happy news to be announcing, and we all wish we could be in a better place at this point," Simmons said. "I know we're all tired of wearing our masks, but I'm just asking the public if we can all hang in there just a little longer, do our duty to take this seriously, wear our masks when we're indoors, hopefully a month from now we'll be standing here and we'll see a drop in cases and we'll reassess where we are."

Simmons said for now, the mandate is open-ended, but her team will reassess on a weekly basis.

The city will use its environmental inspectors and citation officers to enforce the mask mandate, according to Jankowski. City staff will meet with business owners Tuesday evening to provide information, education and answer questions or concerns on the mandate.

The environmental inspectors will review businesses such as restaurants, barbershops and hair salons, and the citation officers will go into all other locations like multiple dwelling lobbies and supermarkets.

Businesses will be fined $100 if their employees are found to be without a mask. Residents also face a $100 fine. Businesses will be given about a 24-48 hour grace period beginning Tuesday night before enforcement begins.

"We are looking to work with all the businesses," Jankowski said. "Our residents have been exceptional in helping us comply with the previous mandate. We're going to work together to make sure it's safe, and people are going to wear their masks while indoors."

Former Mayor David Martin issued a mask mandate in August in response to a spike in cases. The order was lifted on Oct. 26 after trends improved.

Simmons said she wants the city to be "as collaborative as possible" with businesses and residents.

"This is not intended to be punitive. We're confident in the public and the business community," Simmons said. "This is such a hard time for our businesses and for owners, and we understand this is a burden. We hope this is a way to keep our businesses open through the winter and to avoid shutdowns, and also to make people feel more comfortable when they're going out in establishments."

Shah stressed the importance of protecting those who are vulnerable.

"The best way to do that is of course to get vaccinated, get a booster if you haven't already done that, get tested if you're sick, and wear a mask indoors," she said.

Shah noted that Stamford Health is prepared to respond to the uptick in cases. She urged residents not to delay routine care.

"Do not think that you should not come to the hospital to receive your routine care. That's very important," she said.

Bishop-Pullan said that while Stamford's vaccination rate is high, the mask mandate is just another step the city can take to ensure the control of COVID-19.

Simmons said Bishop-Pullan is currently working with the state of Connecticut to increase testing capacity in Stamford.

The Stamford High School testing site was moved to Cove Island Park to accommodate increased demand. On Monday, the surrounding area near the high school was snarled in traffic as people lined up to get tested ahead of the holidays.

To view Simmons' entire executive order and mask mandate, click here.

For more information on testing and vaccination clinics around Stamford, go to the city's website.