Norwalk School Closed; City Receives Coronavirus 'Red Alert'

NORWALK, CT — Norwalk was named one of Connecticut's "red alert" communities as it relates to transmission of the coronavirus Thursday, with positive COVID-19 cases reaching 18.9 per 100,000, according to state health officials.

Additionally, Silvermine School was closed Friday to allow for coronavirus contact tracing, school district officials said, with K-3 students and staff on a remote learning schedule, and 4-5 students and staff in person at the Jefferson School location.

Norwalk is one of 19 Connecticut communities on red alert, a list that includes Fairfield and Danbury. A community is placed on red alert when positive coronavirus cases reach 15 per 100,000 in a two-week period; between Oct. 4 and 17, Norwalk's cases reached the above mentioned 18.9 figure.

"We've been staying on top of the case trends and saw this increase coming," said Mayor Harry Rilling in a statement. "That is why we proactively implemented the state's recommendations for communities in a red-alert level well before this notification. We have upped our testing, sent out more community messages, and discouraged public events and non-essential trips. This is a serious situation and we must remain vigilant. I am asking for the public's help to slow this virus down. Please avoid parties and gatherings, always wear a face covering, and keep your social distance."

Last week, Connecticut had 11 red alert communities, and it now also has 23 on "orange alert," which is one level down from red alert. View a map of the state's coronavirus cases here.

Rilling said that under red-alert status, communities have the option to change from Phase 3 reopening back to Phase 2, which would limit indoor dining capacities, personal services, events and other gatherings in the city. He will discuss the matter with staff and leaders from neighboring communities on Friday and make a determination over the weekend.

On Thursday, Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe announced that he would be under quarantine for two weeks, because he might have been exposed to the virus. He is awaiting test results.

"I will make tough decisions to keep the community safe, but right now, the data isn't telling us that Phase 3 is causing increased cases in the community," Rilling said. "What we are seeing is people being too relaxed and not following public health guidelines. Having an individual community make this decision doesn't make much sense in a state as small as Connecticut. Our residents work in other towns, commute across the state, and visit other attractions and restaurants. If we roll back to Phase 2, I fear that will not help keep Norwalk residents healthy, and will just hurt our local businesses. I hope the state will reconsider this town-by-town approach before things get much worse."

Members of the city's police and health departments have conducted spot checks on local businesses to ensure coronavirus protocol compliance, and they have largely found that businesses are sticking to the rules. The periodic checks will continue.

For more information, visit the city's coronavirus webpage and/or sign up for the CodeRED Emergency Alert Notification System.