With new state guidance taking effect this Friday, March 19, on everything from gathering limits to youth sports, Wilton officials have made adjustments to the related town protocols. First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice announced several changes in her nightly update to residents.
- All recreation equipment is fully open to the public, including benches, goal posts and basketball hoops. However, usage is conditional on mask-wearing while using recreational equipment and when others are present and within six feet of distance.
- General-purpose rooms at Comstock Community Center are available for use, subject to gathering limits, social distancing and mask-wearing.
- In-person Wilton public school students participating in Parks and Recreation programs and/or Wilton youth sports using Town of Wilton facilities are expected to participate in the Wilton Public Schools COVID-19 surveillance testing program. [Editor’s note: GMW contacted Vanderslice to ask whether such testing was mandatory, given that testing in the schools is voluntary. She noted that ‘expected’ did not mean ‘required,’ and said the word choice was specific. With public school open to everyone, school officials can’t make surveillance testing mandatory; because Parks & Rec and youth sports programs are registration-based and the predominant number of cases in town are occurring in children and parents’ age groups–those most involved in recreation and team sports activities–officials would like to use surveillance testing participation as another mitigation strategy.]
- Wilton youth sports organizations using Town of Wilton facilities should submit spring play plans to Parks and Recreation Director Steve Pierce. Plans should be consistent with the guidance issued by the CT Department of Public Health for interscholastic sports and testing expectations.
- Previously required quarantining following inter-town play is no longer required.
- Notably, Wilton’s Health Director Barry Bogle is no longer requiring Wilton Public Schools to submit health and safety protocols for in-person learning for his approval. He will continue to provide guidance and recommendations to the district as requested. However, in the case of an outbreak or other health and safety concerns, Bogle “will continue to exercise his responsibility and authority.”
The news that sports amenities will be reopening this week is likely to be welcome news to many parents, including Farrah Minnich who started an online petition Monday to reopen Comstock’s outdoor basketball courts, just a few hours before Vanderslice issued her nightly update announcing the forthcoming changes.
Minnich, a holistic nutrition therapist, said she was motivated by her approach to health and sees wellness as needing to “include social interaction, physical activity, and human connection–in particular [for kids’] mental and physical well-being.”
“When my own teenage sons wanted to play some basketball on a sunny, dry day [Sunday], only to find the beautiful, newly redone basketball courts at Comstock Community Center sitting chained up and empty, I felt compelled to initiate a conversation and take action to speak up and out in protection of basic needs for the kids in our community,” she said.
“We need to broaden our definition of health even during COVID times and understand that avoidance is not a sustainable response,” Minnich added. “Let’s address metabolic health, immune health, and mental health all as a means of combating COVID-19, and give our youth as much access and opportunity to stay active and engaged as possible.”
Vaccine Clinics
Last week, Wilton’s Health Department, along with Visiting Nurse and Hospice of Fairfield County, completed first-dose vaccinations for all Wilton BOE employees who requested the vaccine and were able to receive the vaccine. Employees of Wilton’s two private schools and a pre-school were also vaccinated.
This Thursday, March 18, the Department will hold an additional closed clinic for education and childcare workers. Vanderslice noted that the town may receive a number of available doses to also allow for an open clinic on Thursday.
If there is an open clinic, appointments will be available through VAMS. Wilton residents will receive advance notice of the posting of the clinic on VAMS through an e-alert email. Any future clinics will also be available through VAMS and noticed to residents in the same manner.
Vanderslice said she “strongly encouraged” residents age 45-and-up who will become eligible for the vaccine on Friday, March 19, to read the vaccine information on the Town’s Coronavirus Resources webpage to familiarize themselves with the appointment process and the Town’s vaccine waitlist.
Today the Governor released the following data for Connecticut:
- 77% of residents 75 and up have received at least first dose.
- 71% of residents 65 to 74 have received at least a first dose.
- 40% of residents aged 55 to 64 have received at least a first dose.
Case Numbers
According to the CT Department of Public Health, Wilton had 19 new cases since Friday, March 12, bringing the total number of cases to 1,014 since the start of the pandemic. The town also had a 3.85% positivity rate.
The following are known cases by age through Monday, March 15. For the second week in a row, there were no cases among residents aged 59 and above. The majority of cases are in the children’s age group (5-14) and adults of parent-age (45-59).
Ages Wilton Population Mar 9-15 Mar 2-8 Nov 10-Mar 1 0 to 4 5% 5% 0% 4% 5 to 14 18% 32% 32% 11% 15 to 24 13% 16% 16% 20% 25 to 44 16% 11% 21% 19% 45 to 65 32% 37% 32% 32% 65+ 16% 0% 0% 13%