1/8/2021 A Message from First Selectman Bindelglass
Good Afternoon & Happy New Year!
Vaccinations for COVID-19 have begun for front line health care workers and nursing home patients. Most of our emergency services staff has had a first dose, as have many health care workers who live in town, myself included. With the help of the Health District, we were able to efficiently vaccinate Police and EMS. It is still unclear how the next phase will progress. The Easton Senior Center has reached out to our seniors, to prepare to get them vaccinated when the state rules, and supply make this feasible. In the last two weeks, we have seen a total of 38 new cases as of January 2, a rate of 36.1 per 100,000 for the two weeks. We have also seen a significant increase in the number of people transported by our EMS with COVID related symptoms. I caution you not to believe that the increase in positive cases are healthy people with minimal or no symptoms, that is not our experience. We are seeing people sick enough to be transported to the hospital.
Yesterday, more than 4000 people died in the United States from COVID. The vaccines are coming, but we have a long way to go. Please continue to cooperate with all of the quarantine rules, social distancing, mask wearing and washing your hands. One thing which is disheartening is the lack of cooperation with contact tracers. We hear frequently that parents will not get symptomatic children tested or tell the contact tracers who their kids were in contact with. It is hard to imagine how we can successfully keep schools open without more cooperation. There should be no stigma nor bad feelings if you or your child tests positive or has been in contact with someone who tests positive. The important thing is to be truthful and honest which could hopefully minimize the spread, especially with the new variant, more contagious strain appearing in Connecticut.
Now that the holidays are over, I will be hosting a “Brown Bag Discussion with the First Selectman” on January 14, 2021 at 7:30 pm. We are also planning a program for new residents in February, so stay tuned. Speaking of new residents, several of the realtors in town have shared data with me. 172 houses in Easton sold in 2020, 14 over a million dollars. Housing is booming all over Fairfield County as well, but here in Easton, this is good news!
Finally, this has been a challenging week for all of us in America. I will not repeat what I said at the Board of Selectmen meeting last night. Nonetheless, I would urge that in Easton, we continue to maintain the civility and respect for our neighbors that we have come to count on.
Have a good weekend.
Dave Bindelglass