With what is being considered a "sharp increase" in positive cases in Danbury, the Connecticut Department of Health has issued an official COVID-19 alert for the Hat City.

According to the CT DPH, 178 new cases were recorded between August 2 and August 20, with 44 of those cases being reported since Thursday (August 20). Given the fact that only 40 new cases were recorded in Danbury in the two-week period prior to August 2, state officials say it is grounds for concern, urging residents to tighten up on social distancing and precautionary measures.

“This is a serious outbreak in Danbury and we really need an all hands on deck approach. We need everyone in Danbury to take extreme precaution,” said Acting DPH Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford, MD MPH.  “We appreciate the partnership with municipal and health department leadership in Danbury, as well as health care providers that have testing sites available for members of the community.  We are urging anyone who thinks they may have been exposed to get tested as soon as possible, stay home until your test results are known and stay at home for 10 days if you test positive.”

In the announcement of the COVID-19 alert on Friday evening (August 21) the state Department of Health noted that many of the new cases in Danbury are related to recent domestic and international travel. The DPH also took the opportunity to remind residents that the state requires anyone traveling into Connecticut from many other states around the country to self-quarantine for 14 days.

Amidst the DPH's alert, Governor Ned Lamont took to social media to further encourage Danbury residents to take the proper measures to reduce the spread of the virus:

The Mayor of Danbury Mark Boughton also backed up the Governor's advice in a series of tweets and social media responses to concerned citizens, including an address to reports that gatherings revolving around youth sports have also contributed to the increased number of local cases.

Acting DPH Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford, MD MPH offered some further advice regarding Danbury's current situation. "We need you to answer your phone if a contact tracer tries to get in touch.  If you are over the age of 60 or have a chronic disease and live in Danbury, you should stay home.  We need employers to help make sure everyone with symptoms or who was exposed is staying home and not coming to work.  Friends and neighbors could help by supporting those who need to stay home with food and other errands.  We can limit spread of the virus if we all work together.”

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