Norwalk, CT – City officials are working closely with partners at the state and federal levels, as well as partners in Norwalk, to monitor and respond to COVID-19, the 2019 novel Coronavirus. Statewide updates can be found online at ct.gov/coronavirus. Mayor Rilling provided the following Norwalk-area specific updates regarding COVID-19 coronavirus as of 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8, 2020:
- Since yesterday, there are 19 new positive cases in Norwalk, bringing the total positive reported cases in Norwalk to 644. There were also two new deaths reported. Now, a total of 23 Norwalk residents have died as a result of coronavirus. In Fairfield County, the number of new positive cases went from 4,136 to 4,417.
- Members of the public continue to discard used gloves and masks in parking lots and shopping carts, creating a public health risk. Mayor Rilling is ordering retail establishments to place specially labeled trash receptacles for gloves and masks in the parking lots and near cart return areas. Additionally, the Norwalk Police Department is watching shopping centers and will ticket anyone observed littering.
- Mayor Rilling will join Norwalk Chief of Police Tom Kulhawik for a virtual “Coffee with a Cop” on Thursday, April 9, at noon. Mayor Rilling served on the Norwalk Police Department for 41 years, and was Chief of 17 years. Virtual “Coffee with a Cop” can be viewed on Instagram Live on the @NorwalkCTPD page.
- Governor Lamont issued “Safe Workplace Rules for Essential Employers” guidelines yesterday. All workplaces considered essential must follow these rules to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
- City officials remind those who are over 70 years old to stay at home, if possible. All non-essential travel, shopping, and non-essential medical appointments should restricted. If they do need to go out, seniors should to the greatest extent possible avoid public transportation.
- Governor Lamont’s Executive Order 7S requires municipalities to enact new measures to assist local taxpayers. The Finance Committee of the Common Council will be discussing a 90 day grace period for any taxes on real property, personal property or motor vehicles that are due July 1 at its April 9 meeting, and it is expected to be voted on by the Full Council on April 14. Mayor Rilling strongly recommends the Council approve a 90 day “no questions asked” extension for any Norwalk taxpayer.
“I offer condolences to their families and will hold them in my heart and mind. I wish them peace as they grieve the loss of their loved ones,” Mayor Rilling said, “I do not want today’s relatively low number of reported positive cases to be interpreted that things are slowing down. We are still in the middle of a public health crisis. I ask everyone, from our teens to our seniors, to adhere to physical distancing guidelines since many of us could be carriers and not even know it. I ask us all to be intentional and deliberate in the decisions we make and realize those choices affect our entire community.”
Members of the public are encouraged to sign-up for the City’s CodeRED Emergency Alert Notification System at norwalkct.org/codered. Updates on City services, hours, and community resources will be routinely published at norwalkct.org/citynews. The latest health updates can be found at norwalkct.org/coronavirus.
