ANSONIA — Updated 9 a.m. Saturday, May 2.
The Cumberland Farms on Pershing Drive closed Friday after an employee tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, a spokesperson for the company said.
The store is at 5 Pershing Drive.
“We are taking all appropriate steps following guidance from local health officials. We closed the store at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 1 to be cleaned and sanitized by an industrial cleaning crew. The store will re-open in the next few days. We are grateful to all our customers for their patience and understanding during this time,” Cumberland Farms said in a prepared statement.
“All Team Members who work at the store have been contacted and advised to follow CDC-recommended guidelines. We are making every effort to provide the affected Team Member and our broader team with the necessary resources and support,” the statement concluded.
The information was distributed Friday evening by a public relations firm acting on the company’s behalf.
“The city’s thoughts are with the employee and fellow employees,” Ansonia Corporation Counsel John Marini said in a statement to The Valley Indy. “Again, this underscores the importance of not letting our guard down when leaving the home.”
The Valley Indy reached out Friday night to the company and the Naugatuck Valley Health District for additional information.
The Cumberland Farms news comes as Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration readies a plan to gradually re-open businesses in the State of Connecticut, where there have been 2,339 COVID-19 associated deaths.
Watch the video below to hear from the governor about his plan.
Meanwhile, Yale New Haven Hospital discharged its 1,500 COVID-19 patient from the hospital this week.
Locally, the Naugatuck Valley Health District reported Friday (May 1) that 114 people have died COVID-19 associated deaths within its jurisdiction. In addition, there have been 19 “probable” COVID-19 associated deaths.
The health district covers Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, Seymour and Shelton.
Many of the deaths locally are happening in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, group homes and similar facilities. That pattern is happening across the state, where nearly 56 percent of COVID-19 associated deaths are happening in nursing homes.
Locally, 90 percent of the laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 associated deaths were people living in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or similar places, according to the Naugatuck Valley Health District. That’s 103 of 114 deaths as of May 1.
State government releases weekly data regarding COVID-19 inside nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
The data released April 29 shows:
Nursing homes in Naugatuck:
Beacon Brook Health Center
Five positive cases, 0 fatalities
Glendale Center
32 positive cases, 0 fatalities
Nursing homes in Seymour:
Shady Knoll Health Center
64 cases, 23 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 associated deaths, 1 probable COVID-19 associated death
Nursing homes in Shelton
Apple Rehab Shelton Lakes
7 cases, 0 fatalities
Bishop Wicke Health & Rehab
27 cases, 16 deaths, 8 probable
Gardner Heights Health Care Center
55 cases, 21 deaths, 4 probable
Hewitt Health & Rehabilitation Center
42 cases, 9 deaths, 2 probable
Assisted living facilities in Shelton:
Benchmark Senior Living at Split Rock
7 cases, 0 fatalities
Brightview Shelton
2 cases, 0 fatalities
The health district released its first statement to the public regarding COVID-19 positive test results locally March 17.
The May 1 data from the health district is embedded below (the story continues after the document):
Nvhd Covid-19 Case Update -… by The Valley Indy on Scribd
Here is the latest number of COVID-19 positive test results as of May 1 (please note that Oxford is not in the NVHD’s jurisdiction):
Ansonia: 177
Beacon Falls: 37
Derby: 111
Naugatuck: 185
Seymour: 159
Shelton: 415
Total: 1,084 (up from 149 cases as of April 1)
According to the NVHD, 27 percent of the 1,084 cases are people living in nursing homes or similar places.
Here is a local town-by-town breakdown of COVID-19 associated deaths:
Ansonia: 3 people
Beacon Falls: 0
Derby: 2 people
Naugatuck: 1 person
Seymour: 26 people
Shelton: 82 people
Total: 114 people (not including 19 ‘probable’ COVID-19 associated deaths)
The image below shows the age breakdown of the COVID-19 associated deaths.
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