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NORWALK – From Friday, masks will be mandatory inside the city, regardless of vaccination status.
Announced Tuesday, the return of the town’s mask tenure is an executive order from Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling and applies to all public places, including bars, restaurants, cinemas, shops and gyms, according to a statement from the city. The mandate will be applied by municipal police officers and the health service.
“As the Delta variant spreads, our case count and test positivity rate continue to climb to levels we haven’t seen in months,” Rilling said. “Last year we started to see a resurgence of cases at the end of September. However, we are starting to see this trend happening now. Transmission is high and we follow CDC guidelines. “
Last Friday, Rilling reaffirmed his decision against a mask warrant, instead urging Gov. Ned Lamont to seek a statewide approach. But Rilling overturned that decision.
“While I think statewide policy, rather than 169 different approaches, makes the most sense as we see a resurgence of COVID-19, I felt it was important to reinstate the mask mandate across Norwalk to help keep our residents safe. Rilling said. “Wearing a mask, watching your distance and washing your hands are simple, proven steps we can all take that have a big impact. I appreciate the residents, employers and clients for their continued cooperation.
Last week, Rilling reinstated the mask mandate for all city-owned properties, but left other mask requirements to individual establishments. The last city office mask warrant was lifted on June 21.
The latest data showed Norwalk had 89 new cases of COVID since July 29, according to the State Department of Public Health. The city’s positivity rate on Friday was 3.1%, the data showed.
“Over the past month, the COVID-19 test positivity rate in Norwalk has risen from less than 1% to over 3%, and the case rate has risen from less than 5 cases per 100,000 population to over 10 per 100,000 inhabitants ”, indicates the press release from the city. .
As of August 3, there were a total of 1,171 cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated residents of Connecticut, according to DPH data. Of the more than 2.1 million people in Connecticut who completed their vaccine series, less than 0.06% of those fully vaccinated contracted the virus, according to the city statement.
The city-wide mask mandate comes days after Norwalk announced two vaccination incentives: a $ 10 ShopRite gift card and a chance to win concert tickets.
As of Tuesday, Connecticut had more than 359,000 cases of COVID-19 and a 2.85% positivity rate, according to DPH data.
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state’s DPH have recommended masks for everyone – regardless of vaccination status – in indoor public spaces, Lamont has not reinstated a universal mandate.
Instead, the governor issued an executive decree on August 5, granting city leaders the power to establish their own local mask mandates.
Since Lamont’s order, several of Connecticut’s largest cities have reinstated mask warrants, including Bridgeport, Stamford and New Haven.
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