10/30/2020 A Message from First Selectman Bindelglass
Good evening,
I want to apologize to all of the children of Easton for effectively cancelling Halloween. Our kids have lost so much because of the pandemic and the town and school district have worked hard to try and bring some normalcy back to their lives. However, it seems clear that we are truly looking at the expected second wave, and we need to be extremely careful. In terms of Halloween, all town sponsored events are cancelled. There are guidelines from the Health Department posted on the website, but, I would strongly advise against any trick or treating or any parties. We have had a case in Samuel Staples Elementary School which necessitated the quarantine of an entire grade. We have learned that even small gatherings can lead to significant issues. Please be smart. Our goal is to protect our community.
The infection rates in Connecticut are steadily rising. Much of the state has been classified as red, while Easton remains orange at the moment. This is based on per capita infection rates. Since we are such a small town, we are only a few cases away from being classified as red. Parts of the state have begun to roll back from levels of “openness”. Through the Health District we are aggressively contact tracing, this is the key to slowing the spread. As I said in my emergency alert this week, it is absolutely imperative that you speak to the contact tracers who reach out to you and follow their instructions. If you need to quarantine, you must take this seriously. The talk at this point is again back to flattening the curve and we must all work together to do so. As always, social distance, wear a mask and wash your hands.
As hard as the early days of the pandemic were, we are all tired of this at this point and with this second wave, you can see the frustration and even depression levels build. We can and should do our best to support each other in this difficult time. Possible resources that are available if you are feeling overwhelmed are: Infoline by dialing 2-1-1 from anywhere in Connecticut. You will speak to a caseworker who can help make it easier for you to find information, discover options or deal with a crisis. Also, NAMI, The National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24-hour helpline: 800-950-6264. Please do not hesitate to reach out.
Tuesday is Election Day. For those voting in person, cooperation and following all requirements for the safe conduct of the election is critical. Please let your behavior be guided by the need for the safety of our entire community. If you are casting an absentee ballot, no ballots will be accepted at or in the ballot box after 8:00PM on Election Day. This is state law and there will be NO exceptions. Do not try to do this last minute. We want everyone’s vote to count. Get your ballots in by Monday to be safe, and if you must, turn them in on Tuesday. Do not wait until the last minute. will make one last plea for civility leading up to and including the announcement of the results which will be posted on the town website home page. We know passions are running high around this election, but we are all neighbors. Please respect each other and the town’s property.
Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour on Saturday night! Stay safe and be well.
Dave Bindelglass