Tag Archives: COVID-19

Spa Owner: “Save Local,” Or Lose Our Town

Posted on December 10, 2020 | 22 comments

For many businesses, the holiday season makes the entire year.

But as Westport staggers through an ominous wave of COVID infections, many merchants and restaurant owners fear they’ll be broken.

And not just for the month or year.

Permanently.

Lori Dodd is one of those small business owners. For 20 years, her Dream Spa & Salon has provided clients with relaxing treatments. Her customers love her, and the feeling is mutual.

But love is trumped by a more powerful force: fear.

Lori Dodd

A small PPP payout helped in the spring. Summer brought a bit of hope, and returning clients. But the long-expected second wave of infections has been brutal.

Right now, Lori is operating at 30% of her usual business. That has nothing to do with capacity restrictions. It’s clients staying away.

Stress is everywhere. Masked employees worry about exposure to unmasked women during facials. Some clients snap at employees for little things. Others balk at or refuse to pay a 5% surcharge Lori instituted to pay for PPE and related costs.

Little kindnesses help. Lori’s sign maker, Marty Rogers — a small businessman himself — offered his services gratis as Lori prepared for a grand reopening. A few clients have been very understanding when Lori rescheduled them, because it wasn’t worth opening the doors one day recently and playing desk staff, electricity and housekeeping.

Where the holiday season means merchandise to many stores, Dream Spa sells gift certificates. With widespread uncertainty about the coming months, those sales have been slow.

Dream Spa,, on Post Road East near Greens Farms Elementary School.

Lori knows she’s not suffering alone. When she picks up takeout from local restaurants, they’re empty. Sometimes, if COVID strikes the kitchen, they close.

Often, Lori says, she’s wanted to cry.

Instead she hatched a plan.

“Buy local” is not enough, she says. “The public is numb to that phrase.”

The byword should be “Save local.”

“More impactful action is needed,” Lori explains. “If we are to survive — if we don’t want to lose restaurants, retailers, salons, spas, fitness centers — we don’t have the luxury of idly sitting by, waiting for more PPP and a holiday season that is not going to cut it.

“We need community support. And we need it now.”

She created an Instagram: @SaveLocalWestport. She’s asking small businesses to DM her for details. She’ll organize a Zoom meeting with interested owners.

Lori envisions signage to be placed around town, and a GoFundMe page. Donations will be divided among members, based on need (assessed by a CPA, hopefully a donated service).

Visitors to the Instagram page will be encouraged to buy gift certificates at their favorite stores and restaurants.

In a perfect world, Lori says, if every household in Westport and Weston gave $100, all the members of @SaveLocalWestport could survive.

“People need to help,” she says with emotion. “If they don’t, this will not the town I’ve lived in for 25 years. It won’t be the town you moved to, or the one you thought you knew.”

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Posted in Economy, Environment, Local business, People

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Francoise Jaffe: Teachers’ Anxieties Are Real

Posted on December 8, 2020 | 8 comments

Francoise Jaffe read yesterday’s “06880” post about the Candlelight Concert with interest.

The longtime Westport psychoanalyst was impressed with how hard it is to bring this event about, and “how impossible it is for the public to understand the enormous effort and dedication it takes to maintain this hallowed tradition.”

She wants a light shone on “the dedication and creativity of the teachers, parents and students involved.” Done!

But Francoise hopes readers will understand something else too. She writes:

Everyone needs to know that their actions affect so many others. When people gather for parties, sports events or large family meals, they do not just put themselves in jeopardy.

The ripple effect is enormous.  The school system was humming along until Halloween. It fell apart afterwards. Students and teachers alike were affected in many ways. 

Teenagers stay in their cars, practicing social distancing — but hang out together at Longshore. (Photo/Kimberly Paris)

Working with patients from many different walks of life and backgrounds gives me a privileged look into their lives, for which I am enormously grateful. I would never have realized how COVID impacts teachers had I not been lucky enough to hear in detail the obstacles they have had to surmount since last March.

One does not understand the workings of any system until confronted with it. I believe that most people have no idea what the life of teachers during COVID has been. Some of my patients are educators.

I think we would all benefit from a closer look at what this professions endures right now.

My patients mention many challenges. At first it was figuring out how to adapt their curriculum to an online environment. This was much harder for some subjects than others, and some teachers more than others.

Some teachers were not familiar or comfortable with technology, so just adapting to it was problematic.

But they had no choice, and no time to climb the learning curve. Some schools switched immediately from in-person to online.

Last spring, Staples students prepared for the “We the People” competition online.

How to make an effective online lesson plan requires training that was not available. This created a lot of stress and pressure.

Another issue is asking students turn on their video function so they can be seen by teachers and peers. Many don’t, for many reasons: the absence of privacy, shame about their living situation, not being motivated to get dressed and groomed as they would if they went to school in person, to cite a few.

Summer afforded teachers the possibility to get up to speed and plan for new ways of presenting their materials, but then they were called back in school in person and had to prepare 2 different sets (or more) of lesson plans for different scenarios (in-person or remote). That was both onerous and time-consuming.

It became even more complicated for the mixed models: half the students are in person, but another half is being taught remotely, sometimes simultaneously.

Classrooms are much emptier these days.

Teachers could only hope that the protocols put in place would actually work. In some school districts, they were not given a choice of working remotely if they had health issues. They were forced to take a leave of absence, unless they had been exposed to COVID themselves.  Some lost health insurance as a result.

Teachers rely on not only verbal but non-verbal clues from students to be effective. If you cannot see your students or get a physical sense of what their mood, attention and body language reveal, teachers cannot be as effective. Knowing their limitations can be anxiety-provoking for educators.

In addition, rhere is pressure to project confidence and an upbeat outlook for students (and their parents), something many teachers do not feel internally.

However, little thought has been given to helping professionals with their struggles. But being given the sense that only a positive attitude is acceptable makes depression more likely. It is isolating and guilt-inducing.

Many therapists are now online.

These are unusual and challenging circumstances. They have gone on for a long time. Normalizing feelings of discouragement, loneliness and anxiety (to name a few) go a long way to helping overcome them.

Teachers should be celebrated, for the right reasons: Their job is hard and sometimes thankless, but they get up every day to do it.

I think that one of the many reasons we cannot abate the spread of COVID is that it is such an invisible disease. Those affected go into isolation. If they end up in hospitals, it is far away from view from most of us.

It is easy to “not see it.” We have to make it more visible and more vivid to help with the very understandable fatigue that has overtaken all of us. Rebuilding a sense of communal responsibility begins with eliciting empathy, which can only be done by sharing information.

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Posted in Education, Environment

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Roundup: Arts Funds, Big Buck, Turtle Update, More

Posted on December 4, 2020 | 4 comments

Five Westport nonprofit arts groups have received a total of $536,100 in COVID relief funds. The money — part of a $9 million Connecticut COVID Relief for the Arts package — is administered by the state Department of Economic and Community Development.

Recipients include

  • Friends of the Levitt Pavilion: $55,200
  • JIB Productions (Play With Your Food): $11,900
  • MoCA Westport: $97,700
  • Westport Community Theatre: $5,500
  • Westport Country Playhouse: $365,80

(Hat tip: Dick Lowenstein)

The Westport Country Playhouse received a grant for COVID relief.

Speaking of art: Mysterious monoliths appeared recently in Utah, California and Romania.

Also: Burying Hill Beach.

Nothing concrete is known about any of them.

(Photo/Chris Grimm)

Remember the loggerhead turtle rescued by Mystic Aquarium on Monday?

David Loffredo sends this update:

Our turtle is a male, 5 to 10 years old. [Uh-oh. “06880” first called him a her — who knew?]

The aquarium warmed him up from 53 degrees to 70. He did suffer quite a blow to his head. They think he was hit by a propeller earlier in the fall, so they are watching him to make sure he recovers.

That’s most likely why he wound up in Long Island Sound this late in the season, and on our beach. His buddies are already way further south. He would not have survived for much longer.

So now we wait.  It’s like having a child.  We try not to call daily….

My wife asked if they’ve named him. The rescue people said they don’t name rescue animals until they’re sure they’ll survive, so right now our guy is #2. We are praying he gets a name!

If and when he does, we’ve been invited for a visit and a behind-the-scenes tour. You know it will be thoroughly documented.

(Photo/David Loffredo)

Speaking of animals: A nearby resident spotted this guy in the Greens Farms Church cemetery. He and his girlfriend then wandered over to her side door. They seem to have settled in for the winter.

As of yesterday, Westport had 699 cases of COVID-19 since March (642 confirmed, 57 probable). There have been 24 deaths (16 confirmed, 18 probable). Click here for full statistics.

And finally … happy 69th birthday to Gary Rossington. The guitarist is a founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd — and the last surviving original member.

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Posted in Arts, Entertainment, Environment, Organizations, Westport Country Playhouse

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Y’s Men Say …

Posted on November 29, 2020 | 10 comments

Y’s Men of Westport/Weston is one of the area’s most active groups.

The pandemic has curtailed many meetings, making their email blasts more important than ever. The most recent one included this first-person account of COVID-19. 

Let one man’s experience be a word to the Y’s.

You cannot overestimate the impact of COVID-19, one of our members told us last week.

His daughter recently came home, feeling fine. He did what every father does: gave her plenty of hugs.

The next morning she woke up feeling she had a light fever, like the flu. He took her for a test. She was positive, and so quarantined in her room for 2 weeks, though she only had symptoms for a day or two.

After a week his wife started feeling badly. He took her for a test. She was positive. He also tested both times and was negative.

Then a few days after his wife’s test he “felt like I got hit by a truck.” He also tested positive and put himself into quarantine for two weeks.

“Pay attention to how you feel.”

He took multiple tests and found that turnaround had increased due to the growing demand — sometimes as long as 5 to 7 days after exposure to have a test show positive. He had 6 negative tests before his positive.

His recommendations were, first: hydrate. Then hydrate some more. “Drink and pee.” Then some more. Flush the virus out of your system. He recommended taking Tylenol (acetaminophen) — not Advil.

Relax as best you can. The moderate case takes 2 to 3 weeks to pass. A more serious, obviously longer.

And pray for a vaccine.

He added: Wash your hands more often than you’ve been accustomed to, wear a mask, keep your social distance, avoid touching your eyes. Avoid indoor gatherings with people who are not members of your household. Wipe down deliveries,

Socializing, while socially distant.

The virus can grow even if you are careful.

He recommended buying a thermometer, a digital device if you don’t have one, and an oximeter, a small and inexpensive device that measures your blood oxygen saturation and heart rate.

Have you been hit by the coronavirus? Click “Comments” below to share your experience.

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Posted in Environment, Organizations

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Superintendent Scarice: Mitigating Measures Work

Posted on November 25, 2020 | Comments Off on Superintendent Scarice: Mitigating Measures Work

Today, Superintendent of Schools Tom Scarice updated the community on Westport Public Schools’ immediate future, quarantine practices, supports for quarantined students and distance learners, transportation, travel guidance and COVID reporting.

He also added a few personal thoughts on what we might expect over the horizon. He wrote: 

The Immediate Future
As projected in October, community infection rates increased sharply over the past month. Meanwhile, our schools have shown a remarkable resilience in halting any spread of the virus in our buildings. I am confident that vigilance in maintaining our mitigating measures (i.e. masks, distancing, hand hygiene, etc.), as well as keeping the density of our schools at 50% capacity, have ensured this measure of success.

Thomas Scarice (Photo courtesy of Zip06.com)

We have identified nearly 80 positive student and staff COVID-19 cases in our schools since September. As a result, nearly 1,500 students and staff have been asked to quarantine.

Yet there has been little to no spread of COVID-19 once positive cases have been identified in our schools. The lack of positive COVID-19 tests of those in quarantine is affirmation of our ability to halt the spread of the virus once it enters our schools.

We will return to on-site schooling in the hybrid model on Monday (November 30) at all of our schools. There will be just over three weeks until our next break beginning December 24. As I mentioned in my last message to the school community, I see this year in 4-6 week increments.

Public health experts project high transmission rates until the start of the new year. It is critical that parents and those in the community partner with us to maintain the same vigilance that is evident in our schools in order to keep our schools open for on-site schooling. An outbreak of the virus, or staffing challenges, can put all of our schools into a fully remote model.

Sharpening Our Quarantining Practices
Quarantining is a necessary mitigating measure in preventing the spread of COVID-19 once a positive case has been identified. As the number of positive cases dramatically increased over the past few weeks in our community, placing Westport into the high risk category, we took a conservative approach with our contact tracing efforts in the schools. This approach led to recommended quarantines for large numbers of staff and students.

Again, our mitigating measures have been extremely effective resulting in a very limited number of positive cases through in-school transmission. This fact is most significant. In reviewing data related to the number of quarantines associated with close contacts in our schools,  it has been determined that spread in our schools has been extremely rare.

Despite the “second wave,” in-school transmission of COVID-19 is very rare at Staples High School, and throughout Westport.

For example, of 508 classroom exposures recorded at Staples High School through November 23rd, only one is believed to have led to an additional positive case within the school. This success in controlling the spread of COVID-19 allows us to modify our current approach to contact tracing, specifically in the middle and high school, which will help limit the number of students and staff needing to quarantine.

With support from the Westport/Weston Health District, and our medical advisor, Dr. Norman Weinberger, we intend to take a more precise approach when determining “close contacts” and recommending a self-quarantine.  These changes will be in effect after we return from the Thanksgiving break.

Instructional Support for Distance Learning and Quarantined Students
As the number of students in distance learning and quarantine increased, new challenges were posed for our school district. I suspect we would have concluded last summer that an increase in distance learners (i.e. from 168 in K-5 on October 30 to an anticipated 207 on November 30) and those in quarantine would coincide with a move to fully remote instruction. However, given the resilience demonstrated by our schools, and the encouragement of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, our doors remain open for on-site schooling in the hybrid model.

In order to address the number of students in need of instruction in distance learning or quarantine, I am very pleased to share that we have secured the services of multiple certified teachers to provide support for these programs.  These resources should be in place to start following the Thanksgiving break.

Transportation
The provision of transportation is guaranteed for each public school student.  However, given the complexity of transportation during the pandemic we encourage parents to transport their children to and from school whenever possible. Decreasing density on our school buses will minimize the need to quarantine students when a positive case is identified on a bus. Of course we will continue to transport all students in need of transportation.

Socially distanced school buses (Photo/Amy Schneider)

Travel Guidance
Travel guidance has been issued. Interstate and international travel is forbidden without following the guidelines. Failure to comply with Connecticut’s travel policies (https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus/travel) may result in a civil penalty of $500 for each violation.  Please take this seriously and adhere to the guidelines issued by the CDC and Connecticut Department of Public Health.

COVID-19 Reporting Hotline
As a reminder, we have developed a COVID-19 reporting hotline to report positive cases only. The number is  (203) 341-1016. Also, an email can be sent to PositiveCovidReport@westportps.org.  If your child has tested positive for COVID-19 please use one of these two methods to communicate to the schools.  You may also contact your school nurse for any follow up information. See this link for more information.

Over the Horizon
As challenging as this year has been, and as dark as it is expected to get over the next 8 weeks or so, I am more optimistic now than I’ve ever been about our future.

Although we have used rather primitive methods to confront this pandemic (i.e. physical distance, masks, etc.), the ubiquity of biotechnology breakthroughs is close to catching up. Treatments have emerged for those infected. Proactive surveillance testing is becoming a reality, and not just for the NBA and the most exclusive colleges and private schools. Vaccines are racing towards the finish line with success rates that match the aspirations and hopes of recent biotechnology promises.

With that, I would like to bring your mind to the other side of this pandemic, which could be within reach in a matter of months. Although I do not expect a “war is over” declaration, I do anticipate that these breakthroughs will conspire with our collective purpose to turn our exclusive attention towards the work of teaching and learning, towards the work of preparing all learners for the challenges of the modern world, and towards building a system that enables all students to thrive and make positive contributions to their world.

A return to “normal” school could be oaround the horizon.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, for this reflective moment, for this optimism, I am most grateful.

In closing, I’d like to share one of my favorite pieces on the purpose of education. As you contemplate the other side of this pandemic and a potential renewed vision of our schools, may these words rise within you and inspire you to action.

In 1947, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote this essay for his school newspaper at Morehouse College. Although published nearly 75 years ago, it rings as true today as it did then.

Have a restful and peaceful Thanksgiving,
Tom Scarice

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Marpe Urges Thanksgiving Precautions

Posted on November 20, 2020 | 4 comments

1st Selectman Jim Marpe says:

Yesterday, Governor Lamont announced that 145 of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities are in the red zone alert level, the highest of the state’s 4 alert levels on the weekly COVID-19 Alert Map.  This indicates municipalities with an average daily COVID-19 case rate over the last 2 weeks of more than 15 per 100,000 population.

This week Westport is calculated at 33 cases out of a population of 100,000, compared to 22.4 cases last week.

According to the CDC, more than 1 million COVID-19 cases were reported in the United States over the last 7 days. This is alarming, and demonstrates that we must remain vigilant. We must anticipate that cases will continue to spread as individuals travel, return home from college, gather and shop in the weeks ahead. Wearing masks, social distancing and avoiding gatherings is a must if we are to control this pandemic.

This year, many traditional activities surrounding Thanksgiving and the upcoming holidays have the potential to threaten our health and safety. I urge all residents to refrain from typical large holiday gatherings.

This Stevan Dohanos Saturday Evening Post cover — modeled on a Long Lots Road home — shows a scene that (for many reasons) will not be repeated this year.

As of November 6, the statewide cap on gathering in private residences is 10, down from 25. Please keep your Thanksgiving celebration to no more than 10, and preferably celebrate at home only with the people with whom you live. Gatherings with family and friends who do not live with you can increase the chances of contracting or spreading COVID-19 or the flu.

Avoid crowds on Black Friday, or prepare for strict adherence to the 50% capacity rule at retail stores. Consider Cyber Monday as an alternative. Always maintain a 6-foot distance from others, and wear a face covering.

Review the CDC and state Department of Public Health guidelines for the Thanksgiving holiday, including traveling, gathering, and alternatives to gathering and protocols for college students returning to or visiting Connecticut:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays/thanksgiving.html

https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus/Covid-19-Knowledge-Base/Holiday-Guidance

Testing

For information on testing sites, please click here for a list of local test sites, or click here for the state-wide listing.

If you have a pending test due either to symptoms of COVID or exposure to COVID, please refrain from going out into the community until you have received results.

St. Vincent’s Health Center is one of several places offerin COVID-19 tests. (Photo/Adam Stolpen)

Winter Sports

Much of the increase in COVID cases and the resulting school closures are a result of gatherings, parties and sports team activities. Effective Monday (November 23), the governor has ordered all club and team sports, including CIAC sports, to postpone all organized events until January 19.

Schools

Staples High School, and Bedford and Coleytown Middle Schools, are on distanced learning through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Westport Public School Superintendent Tom Scarice and I remind everyone that the ability for our schools to remain open for in-person learning depends primarily on the actions of our entire population. We continue to urge all to follow the appropriate protocols so that our community can remain open, but safe.

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Posted in Education, Environment, Local politics, Sports

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Roundup: Michael J. Fox, Big Bucks, Downtown Dollars, More

Posted on November 20, 2020 | 4 comments

Two days after the high school sports governing body pushed the start of interscholastic winter sports back to January 19, Governor Lamont did the same for youth teams.

His order — effective Monday — ends club team practices, games and tournaments, indoors and outdoors, for the next 2 months. Several COVID outbreaks have been traced back to youth sports.

Youth basketball has been played in Westport since the early 1900s. This was an early YMCA team. It — and all other kids’ sports — have been canceled through January 19.

The other night, Ian O’Malley’s Ring app notified him there was a visitor at his Greens Farms-area door.

The Westport realtor and New York radio personality was not expecting anyone.

“He was a lot bigger than he looks” (below), Ian reports:

He was not the only buck hanging around. James Chantler Brown has seen this handsome animal several times in the past few days, off Whitney Street:

Speaking of big bucks: The Westport Downtown Merchants Association has just launched “Downtown Dollars.”

The goal of the digital gift card is to encourage local shopping. Purchasers can write a personal message on the card, and send it to family, friends and colleagues by email, text, even physically (!).  

Click here to purchase; then scroll down for a list of participating merchants.

David Krasne has created a Google spreadsheet that tracks daily coronavirus updates in Connecticut. Each tab reflects a different town in southern Fairfield County.

David also tracks the rolling 7-day and 14-day average new case rates, per 100,000 population. Click here to see Westport; click other tabs at the bottom of the page.

Two years ago, Westporter Andrew Goldman launched an independent podcast, “The Originals.”

In April — with his interview with “The Nanny” Fran Drescher — it became the Los Angeles Times‘ only official podcast. Since then he’s chatted with Danny DeVito, Joan Collins, Barry Sonnenfeld and many others.

Goldman’s most recent guest is Michael J. Fox.

The episode is “different and more personal than any I’ve done,” he says. Goldman begins by talking about his “almost inconceivable privilege” — but admits he is still not particularly happy.

Fox, of course, has many more reasons to despair. His Parkinson’s is increasing; a recent accident took away his ability to walk, and send him into depression.

Yet the actor found a way to rekindle his optimism. His message is inspiring — and particularly meaningful at this unlike-any-other-holiday time.

Click here to listen.

 

Michael J. Fox’s book was released this week.

Gabriel Marous is a Westporter teenager, Pierrepont School student and Saugatuck Rowing Club racer.

He’s also seen the effects the coronavirus has had on area residents. So, with 2 friends, he formed the North Stamford Youth Action Group.

Their first initiative — a drive-through food pantry — helped them feed 33 families. A second one is set for this Sunday (November 22). With the holidays coming, the need is even greater.

To help, email digital gift cards from a local grocery story to contact.NSYAG@gmail.com. You can also search for Cash App under the name “NSYAG.” To volunteer, use the email address above or call 203-744-9796.

Gabriel Marous

Fourteen Staples High School seniors have been named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists. They are among more than 1.5 million students who took the PSAT exam. Congratulations to:

Back row (from left): Alexander Toglia, Simon Rubin, Sebastian Montoulieu, Rishabh Mandayam. Front: Charoltte Zhang, Mira Mahendru, Gary Lu, Lucas Lieberman, Frederick Linn.

(From left): Elana Atlas, Reed Caney, Mohit Gupta, Hannah Even. Missing: Max Montoya.

And finally … 35 years ago today, Microsoft unleashed Windows 1.0 on the world.

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Posted in Downtown, Environment, Local business, Media, Organizations, Sports, Staples HS, Teenagers

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Unsung Hero #166

Posted on November 18, 2020 | 11 comments

We’re closing in on 9 months since the pandemic first struck Westport.

It’s almost time for a kid conceived those first nights — after schools, the library, the Y and Town Hall closed — to be born.

In that time, Westporters have:

  • Sewed and distributed masks
  • Collected food for pantries here and throughout Fairfield County
  • Painted inspiring messages on posters, sheets and rocks
  • Supported their children in the difficult, ever-changing world of remote and hybrid learning — and supported their children’s teachers too
  • Gone out of their way to support (and appreciate) local merchants and restaurants
  • Provided a host of entertainment opportunities, from a pop-up theater to socially distanced concerts and virtual galas
  • Delivered groceries, medicines and supplies to locked-down, quarantined neighbors, friends and strangers
  • Done countless other things, large and small, to make life a little better for all.

The next few weeks — months? — may be the toughest of all.

The weather is turning cold. We’re spending more time indoors — the most dangerous spot for transmission. We’re suffering from mask fatigue, social distancing fatigue, Zoom fatigue. We’ll miss so many holiday traditions, so much fun.

This might be the darkest winter of our lives. But we’re here. We’ve made it through nearly 9 months, when in the beginning we didn’t know if we could make it to April.

So here’s to us. We — all of Westport — are this week’s Unsung Heroes.

Enjoy the honor. But don’t forget: Wear a mask.

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Roundup: Schools Dashboard, Stew’s Tree, More

Posted on November 16, 2020 | 1 comment

Want to know how our schools are doing, COVID-wise?

The Westport Public Schools’ web page has overviews, schedules, plans, FAQs — all broken down by elementary, middle and high school levels — along with a “dashboard.”

It shows the number of individuals (staff and students) with positive confirmed cases, who are currently isolating. The most recent number was 37.

There’s also the number of staff and students currently quarantining, because of suspected exposure. That number: 854.

Click here for the page. Then bookmark it, for future reference.

First Christmas tree of the season? Spotted yesterday at Stew Leonard’s:

Señor Salsa said “adios” in January.

Now, nearly a year later, the Post Road West spot is being replaced by … a Mexican restaurant.

Oh, wait. That’s the same story I posted back in May.

I guess it all depends on what the meaning of “Coming Soon” is.

And finally … today marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Elton John’s 5th album. How do I know this obscure fact? Well, the title was 11/17/70 …

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Posted in Education, Local business, Restaurants

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CT App Aids COVID Contact Tracing

Posted on November 15, 2020 | 5 comments

Since March, Connecticut residents have primarily learned of possible exposure to someone with COVID-19 by phone calls and word of mouth.

Now there’s a third: a smartphone app.

“COVID Alert CT” is completely confidential. No personal information is shared. And it’s free, for Apple and Android users.

After downloading (click here), Bluetooth senses whether your device has been within 6 feet — for 15 minutes or more in one day — of someone who tested positive for the coronavirus.

If so — and that infected person is also using the app on their personal device — an alert is triggered.

A notification is not triggered if 2 devices pass by for a short duration, or stay more than 6 feet away from each other.

If a user tests positive, a contact tracer from the Connecticut Department of Public Health, their local health department or their higher education institution will ask if they are willing to share the “close contact” codes their app has logged while they may have been contagious.

If the user agrees, a contract tracer will provide them with a verification code.
Once that code is submitted through the app, those individuals who came within 6 feet of that user for more than 15 minutes and who also are using the app will receive a notification on their device that they were in close contact with someone with COVID-19.

Sharing this status is secure and private. The app will never reveal who the user is to anyone else.

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