Westport Coronavirus: Details On Decision To Close Library

WESTPORT, CT — In an effort to slow down the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), Westport Library Executive Director Bill Harmer said the facility needed to be closed for the time being to foster social distancing.

"We did not believe that social distancing could be achieved by keeping the Library open," he said in a statement released on Friday.

According to Harmer, nearly all of the libraries in the state are now closed, and the Westport Library has undergone a "two-day deep disinfectant" cleaning of the entire building. When it will reopen has not yet been determined.

As of Saturday, Connecticut has 20 confirmed cases of COVID-19, ant that number is almost sure to rise.

"All the evidence points to the fact that things are going to get worse before they get better," Harmer said. "The virus is likely to spread exponentially and our infrastructure, especially doctors’ offices and hospitals, are woefully unprepared to handle the onslaught that is coming."

(To sign up for Westport breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

In a statement released Saturday, the Westport Weston Health District again urged residents to avoid social gatherings, even small ones, that could help spread the virus. Read the health district's latest statement.

"Many messages were received concerned about young people, and perhaps adults, planning private gatherings such as sleep-overs, trips to various places, excursions to the mall, etc., now that they have some free time," officials said. "School and business closures and other cancellations should not be viewed as a holiday and a time for partying and celebration. They are closed to reduce close person to person contact which is an important tool in lowering the chance of exposure to an infectious disease."

Below is Harmer's full statement:

The health and well-being of our patrons and staff is the highest priority of the Westport Library. On Thursday, we made the decision to close our doors in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Other libraries in the state also acted and now nearly all are closed.

Over the past few days, I attended meetings at Town Hall to work with local health officials on developing a plan for how the community could mitigate and contain the virus. I have talked to friends who work in hospitals and had an ongoing dialogue with the Library’s Board of Directors.

The Library hired a cleaning company to do a two-day deep disinfectant of the building, top to bottom.

All the evidence points to the fact that things are going to get worse before they get better. The virus is likely to spread exponentially and our infrastructure, especially doctors’ offices and hospitals, are woefully unprepared to handle the onslaught that is coming.

The question for every institution, business, or school is not whether we should do something, but rather what the best course of action is.

For me, containment and mitigation are the answers. The only way to truly reduce the spread of the virus is through social distancing. We did not believe that social distancing could be achieved by keeping the Library open.

Therefore, we have decided that the Library will remain closed until further notice. Our book drops will also be closed, and we are waiving all late fees on Westport owned materials.

During the closure, we will continue to provide email support: for tech assistance visit support@westportlibrary.org; for reference questions ref@westportlibrary.org; for the children’s staff kids@westportlibrary.org; and for account assistance circulation@westportlibrary.org

Please visit the website regularly for further updates.

Kind regards to you and your family,

Bill Harmer

Executive Director

bharmer@westportlibrary.org