Seymour Town Hall
SEYMOUR — The Town of Seymour sent a message Friday confirming that local COVID-19 cases have been on the rise, as they have been in most of the state and much of the U.S.
The difference is Seymour’s COVID-19 two-week average daily positivity rate.
The state health department uses a color-coded map to track COVID-19 cases in towns and cities. Click here to check it out.
Seymour is NOT a red town. It’s still orange, but was closet to red among towns in the jurisdiction of the Naugatuck Valley Health District.
Towns and cities colored red have a two-week average daily positivity rate of 15 per 100,000 people. That triggers a public health alert from the state, as has happened in 19 towns so far.
Seymour’s rate was 14.3 as of Thursday. The Valley Indy reported this Friday morning.
The town’s message Friday evening was reassuring. It told residents to continue to follow the COVID-19 protocols that have been in place for months.
“While this is not cause for panic, it is a cause for concern and a sign that we need to redouble our efforts to contain the spread of the virus,” according to the message, which was delivered through a “Code Red” phone call and posted to the Office of the First Selectwoman’s Facebook page.
The 14.3 rate represents 33 positive cases between Oct. 4 and Oct. 17. By comparison, New London’s rate was 43.7, or 165 new cases.
According to information from the state, Seymour, along with neighbors Bethany and Naugatuck, are colored orange.
The photo below explains the colors.
“Accordingly, we are encouraging our residents to exercise caution and increase our efforts with the safeguards available to us. Please make sure to avoid unnecessary gatherings, wash your hands frequently, and properly wear a mask whenever you cannot distance safely, especially indoors. Please consider avoiding unnecessary trips outside of the home. Individuals who are especially susceptible to COVID-19 should increase their level of precaution to keep themselves safe,” the message stated.
The rest of the statement from the Town of Seymour is below:
With Halloween approaching, we want to urge parents to exercise caution when planning Halloween activities. All Town –sponsored Halloween events have been canceled as a precaution. If parents are considering trick or treating, we urge you to wear masks and try to keep a safe distance while doing so. Please reconsider hosting or attending any Halloween parties, as gatherings should be avoided.
It’s up to us to help stem the tide and everyone needs to do their part to protect the most vulnerable among us.
The CDC and state health department issued Halloween guidelines earlier this month. The guidelines are explained in the document below.
