DANBURY, CT (1010 WINS) -- Connecticut’s health department has issued a “COVID-19 alert” for Danbury amid a “serious outbreak” in the Fairfield County city.
Between Aug. 2 and Aug. 20, Danbury reported at least 178 new COVID-19 cases — a “sharp increase” from the two weeks prior to that period, when the city reported 40 new cases, Connecticut’s Department of Public Health said Friday.
The department traced many of the new cases to “recent domestic and international travel,” it said. Health officials are now urging Danbury residents to stay home if they can; avoid non-essential outings; only gather indoors with people they live with; and hold off on attending large church services or outdoor gatherings.
“This is a serious outbreak in Danbury and we really need an all hands on deck approach,” Acting Department of Public Health Commissioner Deirdre Gifford said in a statement.
Anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19 should get tested as soon as possible, stay home until the results come back, and quarantine for at least 10 days if the test is positive, Gifford said. Residents should also cooperate with contact tracers if they receive a call.
“If you are over the age of 60 or have a chronic disease and live in Danbury, you should stay home,” she said. “We need employers to help make sure everyone with symptoms who was exposed is staying home and not coming to work.”
“Friends and neighbors could help by supporting those who need to stay home with food and other errands,” she added. “We can limit spread of the virus if we all work together.”
A list of COVID-19 testing sites in Danbury is available on the health department’s website.