186 Coronavirus Cases Reported In Fairfield So Far This Week

FAIRFIELD, CT — The town of Fairfield reported 170 new coronavirus cases Monday, a startlingly high number that exemplifies the expanding reach of the virus locally and across Connecticut.

“We saw an increase in cases in all elements of the community,” Fairfield Health Department Director Sands Cleary said Tuesday.

Monday’s total is the highest case count reported on a single day in Fairfield by more than 100 cases, according to town data. The number is so high partly because Monday case totals include data generated Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Cleary said. On Tuesday, the town reported another 16 new cases.

The total Monday reflects the results of targeted testing among the students at Fairfield and Sacred Heart universities whose dormitories are quarantined or who live off-campus and are banned from school property, Cleary said. Sacred Heart alone reported 88 new cases over the weekend.

In an effort to slow transmission, the universities have introduced numerous safety measures. Sacred Heart moved most classes online and suspended the majority of campus events. At Fairfield University, for two weeks dining facilities are “grab and go” only and the off-campus shuttle is not running.

The universities aren’t the only educational institutions in town affected by the virus. Fairfield Public Schools on Monday and Thursday reported new case counts in the double digits. As of Tuesday, 25 students and 12 staff members were confirmed to have the virus and a combined 207 students and staffers were in quarantine, according to school district data. Another 46 students and 16 staff members had recovered from the virus.

“Community spread is definitely occurring and that’s being reflected in the entire community,” Cleary said.

The town was reporting as of Tuesday a total of 1,509 coronavirus cases since the virus reached Connecticut in March — an increase of nearly 600 cases compared to the Oct. 9 total of 921. Tuesday’s total included 464 of 676 cases associated with Fairfield University and the on-campus population at Sacred Heart, but that number was expected to increase as reporting issues were resolved, according to the town.

Fairfield is not alone in its rapidly increasing numbers.

“This is going on throughout the county, throughout the state,” Cleary said.

One set of numbers, however, declined considerably in June and has stayed down. Within the last month, two people in Fairfield have died in connection with the coronavirus, compared to last spring, when virus deaths reported in a single day peaked April 14, with nine fatalities recorded in town. In total, there have been 147 virus-associated deaths reported in Fairfield.