Camillo Reflects On A Year 'We Will Never Forget' In Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — Tuesday marked a year since First Selectman Fred Camillo declared a local state of emergency in town in response to the spread of the coronavirus in Greenwich and across the state of Connecticut.

One year later, that state of emergency still remains in effect, Camillo said this week.

During a press update Wednesday afternoon, Camillo referred to the past year as one "for the books" that Greenwich residents will likely never forget.

As of Tuesday, the total number of positive cases of the virus in town thus far is 4,219, an increase of 96 from last week. The total active number of cases of the virus in town stands at 105 as of Tuesday, a slight decrease of one case from last week.

Also as of Tuesday, a total of 86 residents have died as a result of the virus, an increase of three since last week. (To sign up for Greenwich breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

"[The weather] is a little cold this week," Camillo said, "but I think with the warmer weather and the vaccination rates increasing, we'll start to see these numbers continuing to go in that trend."

Greenwich Hospital spokesperson Dana Marnane said the facility had 12 patients in-house who have tested positive for the virus as of Wednesday morning. Of those patients, two are on ventilators in the hospital's intensive care unit.

"This number is pretty flat [compared] to where we were last week...when we had 14 [coronavirus] patients," Marnane said.

Marnane noted the hospital's coronavirus vaccination site at Brunswick School has administered over 12,000 doses of vaccine thus far and plans to administer over 1,100 doses on Saturday alone. She also noted the site will continue to ramp up its efforts as they receive more vaccine.

As vaccinations continue to roll out across the state, Gov. Ned Lamont announced earlier this month he will be relaxing a number of restrictions on businesses, travelers and public gatherings established to mitigate the spread of the virus beginning Friday.

While he noted the weather is still a little chilly, Camillo said Wednesday he thinks there is "enough in place" to keep the numbers trending in the right direction.

"We're absolutely not out of the woods yet," Camillo said, "so even people that have been vaccinated, I would really suggest that they continue to wear their masks when they can't keep a physical distance of six feet until we reach that herd immunity, and then we'll see what the [Center for Disease Control] says."

Camillo also took a moment to reflect on the year that has passed since he first declared a local state of emergency, at which time town officials were concerned whether or not there would ever be a coronavirus vaccine.

"There was still a lot of mystery about this virus, and there still is, but there was a lot more then," Camillo said. "When you looked at the news a year ago and saw makeshift morgues being set up outside of hospitals, that was concerning, and to read accounts of how people were passing away, it was scary, but we all had a job to do, which was to keep people focused and positive, but letting them know that we're in a battle."

The first selectman thanked medical experts and the science community for their crucial guidance over the past year.

"Everything they told us came true, so I really see no reason to doubt their guidance now," Camillo said. "The protocols that were put in place then, and are still in place, I think are good and have gotten us here, so it's really a combination of the success of our medical and science communities, as well as our residents. They did a good job."

Camillo also spoke positively about the outlook for businesses in Greenwich and noted that, while it was still too early to say with certainty, he was "very confident" the warmer weather and increased vaccination rates will have a positive effect on local businesses this year, as long as residents remain cautious.

"They'll say it's better to be safe than sorry," Camillo said. "Just continue to do what you're doing. That's the only way to ensure safety."