Derby Mayor Rich Dziekan
DERBY — Mayor Rich Dziekan has COVID-19, according to a prepared statement issued Monday.
The mayor has mild symptoms. Contact tracing will be handled by The Naugatuck Valley Health District.
Derby City Hall will be closed to employees and the public Tuesday as the building is cleaned.
Another city hall employee is exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms and will be tested.
“After feeling slightly under the weather starting this past Friday, Oct. 9, I kept a close eye on my symptoms through the weekend. As of last night, I presented with a low-grade fever so I decided to get tested for Covid-19 this morning. Unfortunately, the results from that test have come back “positive.” Other than some cold-like symptoms, I am feeling okay,” Dziekan said in a prepared statement.
Dziekan’s announcement comes after Derby Public Schools announced a positive test within the district on Saturday.
Last month an employee at the Derby Department of Public Works tested positive. He has since recovered.
While Connecticut is still better off than most of the country when it comes to COVID-19 positivity rates (1.4 percent as of Monday, compared to 10 percent in Florida), there were 155 people in the hospital with COVID-19 as of Monday. That’s the highest number of people hospitalized because of the virus since June, according to Alex Putterman, a reporter with The Hartford Courant.
On Monday, the state reported two deaths since Friday attributed to COVID-19.
The Naugatuck Valley Health District was closed Monday for Columbus Day. It issued a report Friday showing there have been 125 positive COVID-19 tests since Sept. 8.
The NVHD reported 17 new cases between Thursday and Friday. Ten of those cases were in Shelton.
