DANBURY, Conn. — COVID-19 first hit Connecticut in the city of Danbury, and after months of managing to 'flatten the curve' and bring the virus under control, the city is facing a significant spike in cases.
The Connecticut Department of Health issued a COVID-19 alert for the city of Danbury on Friday night. The DPH said the city has had a significant increase in cases in the last two weeks, with much of the outbreak having to do with recent domestic and international travel.
"The Hat City" saw an increase of 44 new cases Friday and no new COVID-19 related deaths. The DPH reports that between August 2-20, the city recorded 178 new COVID-19 cases. The previous two-week period only saw 40 new cases.
On Saturday, Mayor Mark Boughton said 7 new cases were reported.
Boughton told FOX61 that young people were a factor, with a spike in cases among people age 6-18. He also said travel, church groups, and athletic groups were some of the factors driving the outbreak.
Boughton said the city is canceling all athletic leagues that use city facilities as of 6 p.m. Monday, and is encouraging churches to go online. The city will also close its public boat launch on Candlewood Lake on Monday.
"We also saw a significant amount of spread amongst very innocuous family barbecues," said the Mayor. "Maybe only 10 or 11 people with but we've been able to trace some infections from the virus that way as well. So we're discouraging that kind of activity as well. We can't stop it, but we're asking people to think twice before they do it."
Danbury had planned to open schools in a hybrid in-person/on-line model on September 8th, but Boughton said the city is re-evaluating that now. "That decision still has more discussion to be had by our Board, but certainly this information will have an impact, I think, on that decision."
Most restrictions will start Monday and many residents were spotted outside on Saturday, enjoying a few more moments of summer.
Some people told FOX61's Brian Didlake that until the restrictions kick-in, they’ll continue to play -- the safest way possible.
Martin Blulanger is the assistant head coach for the Danbury Storm softball team said, “We just try to follow all the rules, we try to be as positive of an influence, we try to be as healthy of an influence. It’s all about the kids.“
League officials are sanitizing being cautious, sanitizing benches and other high-touch surfaces to protect players, especially those coming from outs of the state coming to compete.
Ishmael Lytle and his family came to compete against the Danbury Storms coming from Pittsfield Massachusetts.
Lytle said he didn’t hear initially about the spike but is always prepared to keep his family safe.
“Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize you have to sanitize everything, get the shower… You just have to be aware and be conscious of everything,” said Lytle.
The city’s health department is urging residents to limit large outdoor gatherings, stay clear of places of worship, and stay home as much as possible so numbers can dip back down.
“Listen, these things happen and you know it’s… You have to play by the rules and if you do all the right things then I think the numbers will go back where they need to be,” said Blulanger.
Even folks at Western Connecticut State University are affected by the recent spike.
In a letter sent to the WCSU community, effective Saturday, no students will be allowed on campus for two weeks except for those already on campus who the university urges to remain on-campus until students are let back on.
The letter also says classes will still start on August 26th, but only online.
The school going on to say, “We hope to return to the regular schedule as soon as it safe to do so.”
Residents say the sudden halt for many activities due to the COVID-spike is sad to hear but it’s not surprising.
“People have been cooped up in their houses for months and months and people going back to school… Another lotta people probably getting back together with friends before they go off to college and that’s probably one of the reasons why the spike is going on,” said Solomon James.
Health officials urge everyone to answer the calls from people doing contact tracing, and if you don’t feel well get tested as soon as possible.
“This is a serious outbreak in Danbury and we really need an all hands on deck approach. We need everyone in Danbury to take extreme precaution,” said Acting DPH Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford, MD, MPH.
“We are urging anyone who thinks they may have been exposed to get tested as soon as possible, stay home until your test results are known and stay at home for 10 days if you test positive," said Gifford.
Mayor Boughton said "I personally have just lost someone very close to me about three weeks ago to COVID-19. So it's real, and you have to take it seriously."