COVID-19 UPDATE: Town Report; Clothing Drive; Blood Donations; Help For Healthcare Workers; Playhouse Update, And More

Posted on March 24, 2020 | 16 comments

As of 4 pm yesterday (Monday), , March 23, 2020, out of the 415 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Connecticut, 74 were from Westport and 4 from Weston.

Westport Weston Health Director Mark Cooper says, “Being ‘hit’ first, we may be first to see the virus start to slow its spread, so long as people self-isolate and socially distance themselves from others. Only time will tell.”

Although no age group is spared, the 40-49 and 50-59 age groups have the highest number of confirmed cases in the state. The 60-69 and over-80 age groups make up the majority of those hospitalized.

According to the WWHD, private company Murphy Medical tested 45 Westport and Weston residents today. However, due to the shortage of test supplies, some of this morning’s tests had to be rescheduled.

WWHD will restart the Westport Weston drive-thru testing site next Tuesday (March 31), testing supplies availability permitting. Appointments can be obtained by filling out forms at www.coronatestct.com.

Staples High School junior Remi Levitt runs a great clothing and lifestyle blog, called “Coat of Love.” Now she’s using it to organize a county-wide clothing drive for those affected by the coronavirus.

So, “06880” readers: Clean your closets. Separate items by gender and size, in garbage bags; mark their contests on the outside. Place them by your mailbox or the end of your driveway. Email remilevitt@gmail.com with your address; they’ll be picked up within 24 hours, and sent to folks in need.

For more information, click here.

Reader Paloma Bima writes that just before all non-essential stores shut down yesterday night, a customer called Compo Farm Flowers. She arranged for delivery of beautiful bouquets to many friends. It was an act of great kindness for them — and for one small, about-to-close business too.

Reader Nicole Klein has been passionate about giving blood for the last 25 years. When she was in college, a sibling was diagnosed with leukemia. Nicole is adopted, so she could not help medically.

She felt helpless that she was unable to donate blood platelets or bone marrow. Then she realized that although she could not help her sibling, she could help others.

“In today’s world of COVID-19, I again have the overwhelming feeling of hopelessness,” she says. “The only thing I could think to do was donate blood. There is an extreme shortage right now. I urge anyone who is healthy and able, to please click here to make an appointment.

“They are amazing and so grateful. During this time of indescribable helplessness, it will help you too.”

Like every gym, Upper Deck Fitness is closed. They’re doing what they can for their clients, using a two-way video platform. It’s a great solution — but not easy.

Yet Upper Deck still wants to help others. So the fitness center is offering a free month of virtual workouts to all nurses, doctors, techs and EMTs.

“Healthcare workers don’t have the liberty of social distancing, so keeping their immunity strong is of utmost priority,” says founder and CEO Suzanne Vita Palazzo.

“This is not just about a workout, but providing them with an hour to release stress and maintain their strength, while receiving support from a fully interactive community.”

The 2-way video service enables a certified coach to keep on eye on all participants. There are over 20 classes a week, all done via any device with an internet connection.

Healthcare professionals: Email
info@upperdeckfitness.com with your name and credentials.

National Hall and Upper Deck Fitness.

It’s not quite the way the Westport Country Playhouse expected its 90th season to go.

The iconic theater has pushed its April opening back to July.

The revised 2020 lineup includes the musicals “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and “Next to Normal,” and a new comedy, “Tiny House,” down from the original 5 productions. “Antigone” and “Blues for an Alabama Sky” have been postponed to future seasons.

The modified season will run from July 14 through October 24.

(Photo/Robert Benson)

Who has time for spring cleaning?

This year, most of us.

Westport Hardware is open for business, with a full supply of whatever you need for your yard, garage, attic, basement, deck, driveway, shed, etc., etc., etc.

As medical personnel desperately seek face shields, Westport Maker guru Mark Mathias says that people with 3D printers can help. For information on what to do, and how, click here. For additional info, email mark@mathias.org.

Yesterday’s post about Tina Dragone drew many comments on “06880” — and hate calls and emails to the store.

C’mon, readers. You’re better than that. She’s a small businesswoman, facing hard times like so many others.

It’s your choice to shop there or not. But personal attacks are definitely not cool.

And finally, in case you need a little reminder about social distancing, click below:

 

 

 

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Posted in Environment, Local business, Organizations, People, Westport Country Playhouse

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Eloise Reilly: The Centenarian’s Great Sequel

Posted on March 24, 2020 | 15 comments

I was so glad this morning to run an upbeat story. Westporter Eloise Reilly turned 100 on Sunday, and — from a safe distance — her neighbors helped her celebrate.

I called her a “longtime Westporter, and still-very-active community member.” I didn’t know the half of it.

Today, alert and inspired “06880” reader Kristin McKinney sent along a profile of Eloise she wrote a couple of years ago, for the Westport Garden Club newsletter. In honor of Eloise, she graciously shares it with us.

She picked up her landline on the second ring, old school style, no email, no cell phone. Connecticut native and Westport Garden Club member since 1977, Eloise Reilly was cheerful, bright and as receptive as she could be, certainly she would meet with me tomorrow for a WGC newsletter profile.

She gave me directions; we agreed to meet at 10 a.m. Approaching her property and ascending the longish driveway I noticed the American flag hoisted proudly on a tall, metal flagpole. Ellen Greenberg tipped me off that Eloise served in some capacity during World War II, and seeing Old Glory so elegantly displayed convinced me that was indeed the case.

I parked, found the door after looping around the house which coincidentally afforded me a very nice glimpse of Eloise’s gardens, and gave a gentle knock. Two sets of beautiful eyes met me, Eloise’s piping blues and those of her two-year old rescue kitty who viewed me somewhat suspiciously.

Eloise Reilly, on her 100th birthday. (Photo/Darren and Sally Spencer)

I was invited in and led to a comfy chair near a large bay window where the next three hours passed like a New York City minute. Not having the advantage of searching a Facebook page or Linked In profile in advance of our interview, I proceeded conversationally, looking for common ground.

Eloise was charmingly forthcoming; our initial topic of discussion involved her very successful career as a human resources manager for advertising giant Young & Rubicam that began in 1953, and a second career after tiring of the NYC commute as a realtor with Helen Benson Real Estate.

Talk moved to her home, a beautiful structure designed and built by none other than Eloise herself in 1956, in a time and era where women “just weren’t doing those types of things.” I asked Eloise where she developed her fondness for gardening and asked if as a little girl, she spent time in her mother’s gardens.

The answer was not only yes, but it turns out that like Janet Wolgast, her mother knew the Latin names of every variety of plant, flower and shrub that is identified by the American Horticulture Society.

What is her passion? Growing from seed. Eloise shared that she loves watching things grow, geraniums in particular. As a curious seed novice, I asked about her method for obtaining them, her quick-witted response was, “Order them from Fark’s!”

Eloise Reilly, during World War II.

An interview with Eloise wouldn’t be remotely complete without going into detail about a period in her life which she describes as, “a fabulous experience. Never happened before, will never happen again.”

After reading an article in Life Magazine, Eloise discovered women could go overseas with the Red Cross. She applied unsuccessfully multiple times, each rejection letter specifying the same reason:  she didn’t meet the minimum age requirement of 25.

That year was 1943 and according to Eloise whose two brothers were in the Naval Air Corps, “1300 of Westport’s 7K residents were in active service, everybody and anybody enlisted.”

Not to be deterred, Eloise finally scored an interview in DC and in battling the age argument audaciously stated, “I’m not 25, the war is going to be over by the time I’m 25, but I’ll match my family against anybody you have in the Red Cross.” She was officially in.

Eloise Reilly became a member of the Clubmobilers, a unique unit of service recognized by U.S. Senate Resolution 471 dated May 23, 2012, for exemplary service during the Second World War. Clubmobiles, established in 1942 and conceived by Harvey Gibson, the Red Cross Commissioner to Great Britain, provided fresh coffee, doughnuts, entertainment and a listening ear to troops across Western Europe and eventually the Far East.

Eloise’s tour of duty took her through England, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Holland and Belgium, as she says, “zigzagging all over the place.” According to Eloise, “I learned to drive a six-wheel, two-ton truck with a double clutch and no power steering. We were assigned to a division, the 12th army group, and we had to meet them upon request in various towns or even countries. There were 8 trucks per group, 3 girls apiece, 24 in total. There was also a supply truck with two girls who could sing or play the piano.”

Eloise Reilly, as a Clubmobiler.

In the event of capture, the ladies were made second lieutenants and although this allowed them admittance into the officer’s club for a meal, they preferred to dine with the GI’s. The Clubmobilers found themselves living in tents, chateaus or even theoccasional, local bordello.

If they asked for directions to the powder room, most often the response was met with a nod toward the surrounding woods. Eloise remarked that in a world of men, the Clubmobiliers were placed on a pedestal, treated like sisters, aunts, mothers.  “They were protected,” said Eloise. “Nobody got out of line, the GI’s were self-policing.”

I asked Eloise if she was ever afraid and the answer was a resounding “no.”  While she admits to being apprehensive at times and despite some accidents and fatalities sustained by fellow Clubmobilers, she was never concerned for her own life.

In fact, her goal was to get to the Front.

FUN FACT: The Westport Garden Club is 96 years old. To Eloise, that’s almost a child.

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Posted in Environment, History, Organizations, People

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Happy 100th, Eloise Reilly!

Posted on March 24, 2020 | 13 comments

In the midst of a grave health crisis, it’s important to celebrate milestones.

Which is exactly what Eloise Reilly’s friends and neighbors did on Sunday. (From a safe but loving distance, of course.)

After all, it’s not every day someone turns 100 years old.

Eloise — a longtime Westporter, and still-very-active community member — topped off her radiant look with a sparkling pink tiara.

Eloise Reilly (Photo/Darren and Sally Spencer)

“Eloise has seen a lot in her lifetime,” say her friends Darren and Sally Spencer, who tied a joyful banner around her house.

“But she always keeps a positive attitude. That should serve as a great lesson for all of us.”

It does indeed.

Happy birthday, Eloise, from your many fans in 06880 and beyond!

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Former Westporter’s Early Infection Spread Rapidly

Posted on March 24, 2020 | 6 comments

With so many stories — and news sources — about COVID-19, “06880” is trying to limit coverage to stories with a direct connection to Westport. So why am I reprinting this Los Angeles Times story?

Because the subject of the story — a man in his 50s — is a former Westporter. The ominous headline is “How One Man’s Coronavirus Infection Created a Web of Potential Infection Around the World.” Here’s Noah Bierman’s report:

Contracting the new strain of coronavirus was stressful enough for one Washington, D.C., aerospace consultant. But tracking down and calling the people he came into contact with may have been just as bad.

“Are you sitting down? I got bad news,” he told people at least a dozen times.

The consultant was diagnosed Friday (March 13) with the illness, one among the early waves of known cases in the United States. And his efforts to call people around the country and around the world — including some within the highest reaches of government — illustrate how far a single individual can potentially spread the virus.

His calls caused factories to shut down, airlines and a ski van service to contact everyone on their manifests, a hotel to draft a letter sent to their guests, and congressional advisors and officials in the Israeli government to consider who they might need to call.

In a phone interview Sunday (March 15), he said he was suffering from painful coughing and shortness of breath. His wife has been feverish.

The consultant asked that his name not be used to protect the privacy of his clients. But he agreed to tell his story as a warning for others to listen to government admonitions and follow social distancing guidelines.

The story talks about his attendance at an American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington, then going to a pro hockey game followed by a 5-day ski vacation in Vail. Then he got on a plane, and started coughing….

This is not the former Westporter.

When he got the news, he had to tell people: Israeli officials, congressional offices, his hotel and van service in Vail …

The hotel sent a letter to their guests. The van service said it had expected a call like his and was prepared to make calls to the 10 people or so from around the country who rode through the mountains with the contagious consultant. The company that gave him the hockey tickets had to shut down their factory to test employees, as did other businesses he interacted with.

 

When he reached people, after an initial silence, they were understanding, much to his relief.

“Politics didn’t matter when I spoke with these people,” he said. “We get it. We’re going to try to do the right thing.”

The hospital told him to call ahead if he needed to return, so they could set up an isolation room with respiratory equipment.

“I think a lot of people have it and don’t know it, people who have been turned away,” he said. “The symptoms are flu-like, and you don’t have to be that sick.

“They only tested me because of the fact that I went to a big conference and I pushed the issue with them,” he added.

Like many Americans, he is already weary of the isolation.

“I feel like Jack Nicholson in ‘The Shining.’ I’m about to snap with this cabin fever.”

(Click here to read the story on the Los Angeles Times website.)

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Posted in Environment, Media

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Pics Of The Day #1071

Posted on March 23, 2020 | 6 comments

 

Post Road East, 11:30 a.m., looking west …

… and east (Photos/Dan Woog)

Not far away, the Post Road … 

… and, a few hours later, Main Street (Photos/Katherine Bruan)

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Posted in Downtown, Environment, Pic of the Day, Transportation

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NY Times Spotlights Westport: “Party Zero: How A Soiree In Connecticut Became A ‘Super Spreader'”

Posted on March 23, 2020 | 86 comments

The New York Times has taken note — and told the world: Westport is ground zero for the coronavirus in Connecticut. 

In a long story posted late this afternoon — with the subhead “about 50 people gathered this month for a party in the upscale suburb of Westport, then scattered across the region and the world, taking the coronavirus with them” — Elizabeth Williamson and Kristen Hussey report on our town’s role in the pandemic.

Businesses have closed along Main Street in Westport, Conn., where a surge in coronavirus cases has been reported.

Businesses have closed along Main Street in Westport, Conn., where a surge in coronavirus cases has been reported. (Photo/Dave Sanders for The New York Times)

About 50 guests gathered on March 5 at a home in the stately suburb of Westport, Conn., to toast the hostess on her 40th birthday and greet old friends, including one visiting from South Africa. They shared reminiscences, a lavish buffet and, unknown to anyone, the coronavirus.

Then they scattered.

The Westport soirée — Party Zero in southwestern Connecticut and beyond — is a story of how, in the Gilded Age of money, social connectedness and air travel, a pandemic has spread at lightning speed. The partygoers — more than half of whom are now infected — left that evening for Johannesburg, New York City and other parts of Connecticut and the United States, all seeding infections on the way.

Westport, a town of 28,000 on the Long Island Sound, did not have a single known case of the coronavirus on the day of the party. It had 85 on Monday, up more than 40-fold in 11 days.

 

That’s the start. The story ends …

The first partygoer to be diagnosed passed word from Johannesburg to Westport that he had fully recovered and even planned to go for a jog.

“I don’t believe I’m the problem anymore,” he told The Sunday Times. “It seems that the real problem is now the people who are too scared to say anything. The problem is the ignorance of the public.”

(To read the story on the New York Times website, click here.)

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Posted in Environment, Local politics, Media

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Marpe’s Message: Westport Cases; Testing; Business Closings; More

Posted on March 23, 2020 | 2 comments

1st Selectman Jim Marpe says:

  • The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) released its update on laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of March 22, 2020. The total of laboratory-confirmed cases in Fairfield County is 208, 20 of which are hospitalizations. Westport has a total of 62 laboratory-confirmed cases. The diagram on page 1 of the DPH report indicates that of the 327 cases in CT, the majority impacted are between the ages of 40-60. Those in the age range of 20-40 are just as likely to be infected as those in the 60-80 age range.  Click here for the report.

NOTE:  The State data is constantly changing. The town of Westport has endeavored to share the most current information available to us, but understand that the state is updating data daily regarding the number of COVID-19 cases, as well as changes to executive orders. We will try to share that information with the public as quickly as it officially becomes available to us.

  • The Westport Weston Health District reminds the public that it has arranged local COVID-19 testing in town with the Murphy Medical group for Weston and Westport residents only starting tomorrow. Pre-registration and pre-screening is required. Visit coronatestct.com to learn more. Testing is by appointment only.  Note: Murphy Medical will not require payment to register, but it will take insurance information. Insurers will be billed and will pay for the COVID-19 testing. The state of Connecticut pays for those on Husky and Medicaid.

  • The Governor’s Executive Order 7H will take effect as of 8:00 PM this evening, March 23. This order requires that businesses suspend in-person operations for all non-essential functions. To see the Governor’s announcement, please follow this link:

According to First Selectman Jim Marpe, “The reality is that a great many Westport businesses and services can remain open under the governor’s new orders. I encourage you to make use of them reasonably, bearing in mind the greater need to self-isolate.If you are considering going out to a business, check online or by phone to make sure it is still open. Also keep in mind that many businesses have voluntarily closed despite the Governor’s order not applying to them.”

Trader Joe’s enforces the social distance rules — in its own, very recognizable font. 

If you are visiting a supermarket, or convenience store, please maintain appropriate social distancing while you shop, and encourage the personnel in these establishments to follow CDC and WWHD recommended hygiene procedures. The WWHD will be increasing its efforts to enforce proper hygiene procedures in all food service establishments, but customer encouragement will also go a long way. If anyone notices a business not following the proper protocols, please contact the Westport Weston Health District at 203-221-7199.

  • Town Hall and town offices are closed to the public until further notice, overriding the previous notice that they will be closed until March 31.Essential staff will remain on-site utilizing alternating work schedules with some staff working remotely. We are making efforts to keep town services available to the public, but delays may occur. If you need to reach a staff member, please call, leave a voicemail or send an email. (Department and staff directories are available on the website https://www.westportct.gov/about/staff-directory). If it is determined that an in-person meeting is necessary, staff will work to schedule with the recognition that appropriate measures will be taken in order to maintain adequate distancing and transfer of documents.
  • As a reminder, it is imperative that everyone stay home.  In the name of public safety, if you must go out, you must practice social distancing at all times and not gather in groups. You are placing yourselves and others at risk when you engage in behavior that is against the directives of health officials. Our public safety officials need to be focused on many more vital issues than enforcing personal responsibility and trying to deter congregating during this crisis. Do not congregate in any town parks or outdoor facilities, including but not limited to school properties.

This past weekend, we still experienced several instances of relatively large gatherings in our parks and on some of our athletic fields. We encourage all to get outside and get some exercise, but please do not gather in groups. Other communities around us are closing all of their parks, beaches and playgrounds.  We are trying to avoid this, but can only do this if all our residents practice social distancing and do not gather in groups.

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Posted in Environment, Local business, Local politics, Organizations

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Remembering Richard Marek

Posted on March 23, 2020 | 8 comments

Longtime Old Mill resident Richard Marek died yesterday of esophageal cancer. His wife, Dalma Heyn, children Alexander Marek and Elizabeth Marek Litt, and 4 grandchildren were by his side.

Richard Marek and Dalma Heyn (Photo/Pam Barkentin)

During his half-century in book publishing he published the final works of James Baldwin; The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris; the first 9 books of fellow Westporter Robert Ludlum, and many other bestsellers.

Marek began his publishing career at Macmillan, refurbishing its backlist, but soon moved to acquiring original titles and to another house, World Publishing. There he edited Ludlum’s first thriller, The Scarlatti Inheritance, which sold to Dell paperbacks for the highest price ever paid at the time for a first novel.

He was quickly hired as editor-in-chief of the Dial Press by publisher Helen Meyer. “I turned down The Scarlatti Inheritance when I first read it in manuscript,” she said, “but wound up paying $155,000 for the paperback rights. I figured I’d better hire its editor, too.”

At Dial Marek, working with his lifelong colleague editor, Joyce Engelson (“The hottest Platonic relationship in publishing,” a friend called it), published 4 bestsellers in 1974. Among them was James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk.

His relationship with Baldwin began disastrously. On Marek’s first day at Dial, Meyer told him that Baldwin had signed an unauthorized contract with a different publisher. It was Marek’s job, she said, to make sure that no Baldwin book would be published by any house but Dial.

Baldwin was living at his home in St. Paul de Vence, France. Marek wrote him every day for months. He never replied.

Marek was sent to track down the author in person, first in Paris where Baldwin never showed, and then to the Negresco Hotel in Nice, where he did — flanked by a lawyer, an agent and a lover.

“This nigger ain’t never goin’ to pick another bale of cotton on Helen Meyer’s plantation,” he announced. A drag-out fight ensued, and the two men fled to the hotel restaurant.

There, oiled by several bottles of wine, they became friends. At the end of the night Baldwin handed Marek some words scribbled on a napkin, guaranteeing him free passage from New York City on the day the Revolution took over. Meyer got her author back, and Marek and Baldwin remained friends the rest of their lives.

Impatient with the stodgy ways of publishing, Marek took chances. On receiving the first novel brought in by Joyce Engelson about 4 doctors going through their residencies at a mythical hospital called, as was the book, The House of God.

Marek’s sales manager at Dial said it was so bad, he’d have to give it away.

“Terrific idea!” Marek said, and did the unthinkable. He printed 10,000 copies with their jackets stamped so they couldn’t be returned, and gave them away to booksellers. In exchange, they had to agree to display the book in their front windows.

The industry was aghast. Marek was accused of trying to bankrupt Dial. But the promotion cost far less than a full-page ad in The New York Times, and people began to rave about the book. It sold to paperback and, while Marek promised not to try such a stunt again, the book has now sold over 2.5 million copies.

Marek was a novelist himself. His 1987 Works of Genius concerns the psychological takeover of his literary agent by a great (and narcissistic) modern writer. Readers suspected the writer character was based on Ludlum, but Marek denied any such association.

Marek was born on June 14, 1933. He married Margot Ravage in 1956, and had 2 children, Elizabeth and Alexander. Four years after the death of his wife in 1987, Marek married author Dalma Heyn. They maintained joint offices in their Westport home. Together they wrote How to Fall in Love: A Novel, which was published last year.

“Love is more important than anything else in this world,” Marek said shortly before he died. “If you’re lucky enough to have it — and write about it — you will have a happy life.”

(Hat tip: Pam Barkentin)

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Posted in Arts, Beach, Entertainment, Media, People

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“Essential Businesses”: Defined

Posted on March 23, 2020 | 17 comments

Tonight at 8, Governor Lamont’s emergency proclamation takes effect. It closes all but “essential” businesses in the Connecticut.

What does that mean? The Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce relayed this important information.

For purposes of Executive Order 7H, “essential business,” means:

  1. Essential workers in the 16 Critical Infrastructure Sectors, as defined by the federal Department of Homeland Security unless otherwise addressed in a prior or future executive order pertaining to the existing declared public health and civil preparedness emergency.
  2. Healthcare and related operations including:

* biotechnology therapies

* consumer health products and services

* doctor and dentist offices

* elder care, including adult day care

* health care plans and health care data

* home health care workers or aides

* hospitals

* manufacturing, distributing, warehousing, and supplying of pharmaceuticals, including research and development

* medical marijuana dispensaries and producers

* medical supplies and equipment providers, including devices, diagnostics, services, and any other healthcare related supplies or services

* medical wholesale and distribution

* nursing homes, or residential health care facilities or congregate care facilities

* pharmacies

* physical therapy and chiropractic offices

* research and laboratory services, including testing and treatment of COVID-19

* veterinary and animal health services

* walk-in-care health facilities

The ever-smiling, always-helpful Russ Levine at Colonial pharmacy is of course essential.

  1. Infrastructure including:

* airports/airlines

* commercial trucking

* dam maintenance and support

* education-related functions at the primary, secondary, or higher education level to provide support for students, including distribution of meals or faculty conducting e-learning

* hotels and other places of accommodation

* water and wastewater operations, systems, and businesses

* telecommunications and data centers

* transportation infrastructure including bus, rail, for-hire vehicles and vehicle rentals, and garages

* utilities including power generation, fuel supply, and transmission

  1. All manufacturing and corresponding supply chains, including aerospace, agriculture, and related support businesses
  1. Retail including:

* appliances, electronics, computers, and telecom equipment

* big-box stores or wholesale clubs, provided they also sell groceries, consumer health products, or operate a pharmacy

* convenience stores

* gas stations

* grocery stores including all food and beverage retailers

* guns and ammunition

* hardware, paint, and building material stores, including home appliance sales/repair

* liquor/package stores and manufacturer permittees

* pharmacies

* pet and pet supply stores

Westport Hardware is another essential business.

  1. Food and agriculture, including:

* farms and farmer’s markets

* food manufacturing, processing, storage, and distribution facilities

* nurseries, garden centers, and agriculture supply stores

* restaurants/bars (provided compliance with all applicable executive orders is maintained)

  1. Services including:

* accounting and payroll services

* animal shelters or animal care or management, including boarding, grooming, pet walking and pet sitting

* auto supply, repair, towing, and service, including roadside assistance

* bicycle repair and service

* building cleaning and maintenance

* child care services

* critical operations support for financial institutions

* financial advisors

* financial institutions, including banks, credit unions, and check cashing services

* funeral homes, crematoriums, and cemeteries

* insurance companies

* laundromats/dry cleaning

* legal and accounting services

* mail and shipping services

* marinas and marine repair and service

* news and media

* real estate transactions and related services, including residential leasing and renting

* religious services (subject to Executive Order 7D limiting gatherings to 50 people)

* storage for Essential Businesses

* trash and recycling collection, hauling, and processing

* warehouse/distribution, shipping, and fulfillment

Trash collecting is absolutely essential.

  1. Providers of basic necessities to economically disadvantaged populations including:

* food banks

* homeless shelters and congregate care facilities

* human services providers whose function includes the direct care of patients in state-licensed or funded voluntary programs; the care, protection, custody and oversight of individuals both in the community and in state-licensed residential facilities; those operating community shelters and other critical human services agencies providing direct care or support social service agencies

  1. Construction including:

* all skilled trades such as electricians, HVAC, and plumbers

* general construction, both commercial and residential

* other related construction firms and professionals for essential infrastructure or for emergency repair and safety purposes

* planning, engineering, design, bridge inspection, and other construction support activities

  1. Services necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation and essential operations of all residences and other buildings (including services necessary to secure and maintain non-essential workplaces):

* building cleaners or janitors

* building code enforcement

* disinfection

* doormen

* emergency management and response

* fire prevention and response

* general maintenance whether employed by the entity directly or a vendor

* home-related services, including real estate transactions, closings, appraisals, and moving services

* landscaping services

* law enforcement

* outdoor maintenance, including pool service

* pest control services

* security and maintenance, including steps reasonably necessary to secure and maintain non-essential businesses

* state marshals

Staples’ popular head custodian Horace Lewis leads a great — and essential — staff.

  1. Vendors that provide essential services or products, including logistics and technology support, child care, and services needed to ensure the continuing operation of government agencies and provide for the health, safety and welfare of the public including: 

* billboard leasing and maintenance

* child care services

* essential government services

* government owned or leased buildings

* information technology and information security

* logistics

* technology support

  1. Defense 

* defense and national security-related business and operations supporting the U.S. Government or a contractor to the US government

———————

If the function of your business is not listed above, but you believe that it is essential or it is an entity providing essential services or functions, you may request designation as an Essential Business.

Requests by businesses to be designated an essential function as described above, should ONLY be made if they are NOT covered by the guidance.

Restrictions on requesting designation as an Essential Business:

  • Any business that only has a single occupant/employee (e.g. attendant) is deemed exempt and need not submit a request to be designated as an Essential Business.

If you have further questions not answered above, please submit them to decd.covid19@ct.gov.

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COVID-19 Roundup: Neighbors Rally; Face Mask Collections; Informative Videos, And More

Posted on March 23, 2020 | 7 comments

Someone’s doing great things in the Gorham Avenue/Evergreen neighborhood.

They’re distributing notes in residents’ mailboxes, along with colored paper. The notes ask residents to put the appropriate color in a street-facing window. Green indicates “all ok.” Red means “need supplies.” Yellow is for “elderly/living alone or isolated/mobility issues.”

The note promises that neighbors will monitor the signs, and act as needed. It also offers a phone number to call or text if supplies are needed. Residents can also call that number if they want to help others.

What a great idea — and easy to replicate, in any neighborhood! (Hat tip: Mark Mathias)

Westporter Stephanie Webster’s CTBites is always a great way to keep up with restaurants and bars all around the state. This week’s edition offers comprehensive coverage of places that are open for pickup and delivery throughout Connecticut. There’s also a story about chefs doing good things, and ways everyone else can help them and others.

Click here for details. There are tons of them!

Greens Farms Congregational Church worship, meetings and religious school are now held online.

But yesterday congregants gathered together — 6 feet apart, of course — at a drive-thru food drive for Inspirica in Stamford (where homeless families struggle without the usual supply of donated food and volunteers to help), and Pivot Ministries (a men’s recovery mission in Bridgeport). It’s social distance — and social support — at its best.

The Yale New Haven Health System needs disposable head covers and caps; disposable gowns, gloves and face masks; N95 respirator face masks; powered air purifying respirators; face shields and goggles; coveralls and scrubs; shoe covers; disinfection wipes and liquids, and general purpose hand cleaners.

All should be in original, unopened packages. Email donationsppe@ynhh.org. Include contact information so staff can respond.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Newman — a physician assistant at New York Presbyterian / Weill Cornell — is collecting face masks because of the critical shortages at all hospitals in the are, including hers.

She  has already picked up hundreds in the area, and can pick up tens to hundreds more from doorsteps in the evenings. Email elizabeth.h.newman@gmail.com. Anyone with access to larger quantities shoud contact masks@nyp.org to ship them directly.

Elizabeth notes, “I don’t want to take supplies from local hospitals if they need them. If anyone has any to spare they can also try to donate to the local hospital or EMS station. If they don’t need them I’m happy to bring them into the city.

“Also if owners of spas, tattoo parlors, salons, etc. that are shutting down can spare theirs, I know Governor Cuomo is willing to purchase masks at a premium,which could help offset their business losses.”

Garelick & Herbs offers 20% off for any orders of in-kind donating to elderly, low-immune deficiency or in need neighbors. Contact them to help coordinate this; also contact if you are interested in helping in other ways: social distancing delivery, phoning those who are isolated, etc. Email Garelickandherbs@gmail.com or pgarelick@aol.com; call or text 203-913-9737.

As students adjust to distance learning, Staples High School principal Stafford Thomas is a clear, calming presence.

This morning he offered his second video update. He discussed next steps for students and staff, AP tests, social distancing and more. You don’t have to be a high schooler or parent to appreciate today’s news. Click here, then scroll down under “Announcements” to March 23, and click on the video.

Former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb appeared yesterday on CBS-TV’s “Face the Nation.” He spoke “outside his Connecticut home” — which, as “06880” readers know, is in Westport.

Click below for the informative interview.

(Hat tip: Dennis Jackson)

As visitors to Aspetuck Land Trust’s 44 trailed preserves increase dramatically — particularly Trout Brook Valley — the non-profit reminds visitors to leave dogs at home. Unfortunately, they create too many opportunities for close human contact. In addition, Aspetuck will closely monitor all areas, to make sure there is proper social distancing. Click here for information on all the preserves.

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Back to face masks.

Lea Kaner is the mother of former 2nd Selectman Avi Kaner and fellow Westporter Celia Offir. When the virus hit, over 1,300 employees in her family’s business — Morton Williams supermarkets — had no face masks.

Unpacking shipments, stocking shelves and checking out customers, those men and women are on the front lines. So Lea — an expert seamstress — stepped up.

Kaner and his wife Liz found pattern cut sheets and instructions on the internet. They drove to a store in Milford, and filled the car with fabric and ribbons. Then Lea went to work.

She’s still working almost non-stop to make sure every employee is protected. Plus, they’re the best looking face masks around.

 

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