DERBY — Mayor Rich Dziekan said Derby City Hall will be closed to the public in an effort to protect workers and citizens from the COVID-19 coronavirus. The policy takes effect 6 p.m. today (Thursday, March 12).
The city will also be closing its library, the senior center, the community center, and the new Payden field house.
Dziekan said he has been in meetings all week with state and local health officials and that the decision comes with their guidance.
The measures, which will be formally announced today, are expected to be similar to measures Seymour government announced Wednesday.
“The only difference is that we’re not allowing access into City Hall by the general public,” Dziekan said.
Employees will still be working inside the building.
This story will be updated later today, FYI.
The mayor said if some people, such as funeral directors, need paper work for their profession, they can call City Hall and talk to a department head who can make arrangements to meet outside. The phone number at City Hall is (203) 736‑1450.
“We’re trying to limit all exposures. We just want to reduce the risk to our citizens,” Dziekan said.
The new policy will be in place until further notice.
Aldermen/Alderwomen Meeting
UPDATE, 2:15 p.m. Thursday. Aldermen/Alderwomen meeting now CANCELLED
-Derby still plans to hold an Aldermen/Alderwomen meeting tonight at 7 p.m., albeit streamlined.
The public is not encouraged to attend, and several items, such as an update on the Route 34 widening project, have been spiked from the agenda.
Andrew Baklik, the mayor’s chief of staff, said he hopes the meeting lasts 20 minutes at the most.
The Valley Indy may attempt to livestream the meeting if time and equipment allows.-
The police department also posted a COVID-19 related post on social media Thursday:
“Effective immediately and until further notice, all fingerprinting service to the public for job applications and permits is suspended. This is being done out of an abundance of caution in order to limit the potential of unnecessary exposure to the public and our employees.
There have been no suspected or confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Derby.”
Why This Is Happening
There are no suspected nor confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Derby.
But, on Wednesday afternoon Dr. Matthew Cartter, the state’s epidemiologist, reported the first “community acquired” transmission of COVID-19, a respiratory illness, in the state. That means the virus has taken root in Connecticut, is spreading, and infections will increase. Click here for a previous story.
COVID-19 poses a particular health threat to the elderly and people with underlying medical issues. Officials in Connecticut have been trying to stall the spread of the virus so that the state’s healthcare system does not become overwhelmed.
Derby’s announcement comes a day after President Donald Trump addressed the nation about the COVID-19 outbreak and the World Health Organization officially declared the virus a pandemic. The President’s address is embedded below, and the article continues below the video player.
It also comes 24 hours after Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (a federal agency), told a House panel in Washington, D.C. that COVID-19 is at least 10 times “more lethal” than the seasonal flu.
“The 2003 SARS epidemic, which began in November 2002 and ran through July 2003, had a mortality rate of 9% to 10%, he said, meaning roughly 10% of the people who caught it eventually died.
Since COVID-19 emerged in China two and a half months ago, “it clearly is not as lethal … but it certainly spreads better,” (Dr. Fauci) said, adding seasonal flu has a mortality rate of 0.1%.”
Dr. Fauci’s remarks are in the video below.
