Fairfield Joins CT's 'Red Alert' Coronavirus List

FAIRFIELD, CT — The town of Fairfield issued a public health alert Thursday, after joining 18 other municipalities in the state’s “red alert” zone for coronavirus infections.

The designation applies to municipalities that have a two-week average daily case rate above 15 cases per 100,000 people. Fairfield’s rate was 19.6 for the days of Oct. 4 to Oct. 17, according to state data released Thursday. With the exceptions of Fairfield and Norwalk, most of the towns in the red zone are clustered together in southeastern Connecticut.

In a news release, Fairfield officials attributed the increased rate mainly to the recent virus outbreak at Fairfield University.

“The change in level today is concerning but not unexpected given that we are experiencing the second wave of the pandemic with cases increasing throughout the state and the country, and the time period used to calculate the rate includes the recent increase in cases at Fairfield University,” said Health Department Director Sands Cleary in the news release, adding the school had already implemented recommended actions.

Cleary expected next week’s rate to be lower, as the university had fewer reported cases this week and the week with the school’s highest case count won’t be included in the rate for the coming week.

Jennifer Anderson, the university’s vice president of marketing and communications, agreed with Cleary. In a prepared statement, Anderson said the school was seeing positive cases trend down after putting mitigation strategies in place. The university’s actions have exceeded state requirements, Anderson said, noting the school’s active positive cases represent less than 1 percent of its total population.

“The health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and extended community is a top priority for Fairfield University as we continue operations during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Anderson said in the statement.

The news that Fairfield was in the red zone followed a discussion Monday by the Board of Selectmen about the rise in cases, during which Selectwoman Nancy Lefkowitz said the town was, “looking more like a bit of hot spot,” and noted residents were frustrated and concerned about the situation.

Fairfield as of Thursday had a total of 1,085 coronavirus cases and 146 associated deaths since the pandemic first hit Connecticut in March, although only 254 of the nearly 450 cases connected to the town’s two universities were included in that number, according to town data.

As of Thursday, Fairfield University had recorded 309 cases, and Sacred Heart University had reported 133 cases among its on-campus population only. Fairfield University in recent weeks banned students living in the town’s beach area from campus due to the virus, directing them not to leave their yards.

The state encourages towns with an average daily case count above 25 per 100,000 people to consider switching to distance learning. Towns in the red zone are eligible to scale back to Connecticut’s second reopening phase if they choose, although First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said in the news release that phase three guidelines would remain in place for Fairfield.

All town-sponsored public events have been canceled and the cancellation of large gatherings is encouraged, according to Kupchick.

“Currently, the primary means of transmission has been seen from small gatherings where people are letting their guard down by taking off their mask and are coming too close to one another,” Kupchick said in the news release.

People who are high risk for the coronavirus should stay home and limit socialization with people who aren’t members of their family, according to the news release, which also said indoor activities and any outdoor activities that don’t allow for mask wearing or social distancing should be postponed.

“I would like to once again remind all residents to continue to wear masks, wash hands frequently and maintain a social distance from others,” Kupchick said in the news release.

Fairfield residents should remain home if a household member tests positive for the virus, if they are waiting for test results, or if they experience coronavirus symptoms, the news release said.