Government

Emergency Management Director: ‘Goal’ To Have Drive-Thru Testing for Virus by March 23

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Municipal leaders on Monday announced that Town Hall hours will be limited due to the COVID-19 emergency and said they hope to make drive-thru testing for the virus available next week. Officials “have been working on bringing this service to New Canaan,” Emergency Management Director Mike Handler said of the testing in a town-wide voice call and email. “More information on how this process will work will be shared in the coming days. Many people are rightfully asking how long this is going to last. While we do not have a definitive answer, it is important that we all view this as more of a marathon than a sprint. Whatever the duration, we will get through this together.”

The information comes as cases of the virus surge, with a total of 41 cases in Connecticut, health officials say, including 29 in Fairfield County. The statewide figure is up from 26 in just one day. In New Canaan as elsewhere, food service establishments may offer pickup and curbside service only, and gyms, public playgrounds and the movie theater are closed.

Emergency Management Director: Eating in Restaurants Prohibited; Gyms, Movie Theater, Playgrounds Closed

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No one may eat inside New Canaan food service establishments as of Monday due to the COVID-19 virus, officials say, and The Playhouse movie theater, commercial gyms, and the playgrounds at town parks also are closed. Nail and hair salons may continue to operate by appointment and restaurants may continue to offer curbside pickup and delivery, Emergency Management Director Mike Handler said in a town-wide voice call and email. 

“[O]ur parks will remain open and we encourage their use provided people are not gathering in groups,” Handler said in the message. “These actions will remain in effect until further notice and as we gain greater visibility, we will certainly advise everyone. Clearly, these actions are being taken because we are serious about discouraging mass social contact.”

He added, “On a separate note, we are aware that there are many rumors circulating that involve specific businesses and individuals. Please remember that this type of behavior, while commonplace, is distracting to our team and destructive to our community. We trust we can count on everyone to be sensitive and compassionate in this time of stress.”

It wasn’t immediately clear what Handler was referring to. 

The prohibition from “all in-restaurant and outside service” came “by order of the Director of Health,” Handler said. His message came two days after town leaders declared a local state of emergency, with police and other municipal officials urging residents to limit interactions in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 virus in New Canaan. What locals do over the several days “will have a massive impact on the local and perhaps national trajectory of this pandemic,” Handler said in a Saturday message. 

“When we say people should not be gathering in groups, we are referring to adults and children, both out in town and in private homes,” he said.

Dr. Bryan Luizzi

New Canaan Public Schools To Close Thursday After First Confirmed COVID-19 Case in Town

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In a move designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 following the first confirmed case in town, New Canaan Public Schools will close Thursday, district officials said, and starting Friday students will continue learning remotely for two weeks. Faculty and staff “have been working tirelessly over the past weeks to prepare for this scenario,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi said Wednesday afternoon in an email to parents. “We have prepared for this scenario by coming together as a district to develop plans that provide our students with a continuing educational experience during the closure,” he said. “These plans will be shared by your building principals in subsequent communications.”

Thursday will count as a snow day, district officials said. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Homepage Top Story

Police: Young Boy Said To Be ‘Missing’ Is Identified and Found [UPDATED]

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Update 9:10 p.m.

The young boy seen on video surveillance ringing the doorbell of an eastern New Canaan home late Monday has been identified and found, Police Lt. Jason Ferraro said in a media update. “He is home sleeping,” Ferraro said. “No further information will be released at this time. The New Canaan Police Department thanks the community for their assistance in this matter.” The comments ended a very strange hour of local news in town that started around 8 p.m. when Emergency Management Director Mike Handler alerted residents of a “missing child” in the area of Valley Road.

Around Town

‘An Unsung Hero’: New Canaanites Remember Jim Cole 

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Saddened by news of Jim Cole’s passing this week, New Canaanites are remembering the longtime former resident as a dedicated volunteer who served the community quietly and in numerous ways while helping to shape emergency preparedness in town. A former chairman of the New Canaan Police and Fire Commissions who went on to become the town’s director and later deputy director of Emergency Management and served on its Traffic Calming Work Group, Cole died Monday in Florida, according to First Selectman Kevin Moynihan. In calling for a moment of silence at a regular meeting of the Board of Finance on Tuesday night, Moynihan called Cole “a great friend of New Canaan” and “great volunteer” alongside his wife, Nancy Upton. Known for his deep involvement in the Congregational Church of New Canaan, local service organizations and the Community Emergency Response Team, a volunteer group known as ‘CERT,’ Cole was a widely respected expert on emergency response for whom the safety of the community was imperative, according to those who knew him. 

He not only helped plan for emergencies but also rolled up his sleeves to work hard when they struck, according to Mike Handler, New Canaan’s director of emergency management. Handler called Cole “a remarkable guy” who “took community engagement and involvement to a different level” not only as a volunteer but also as a great recruiter who was “fiercely loyal” to those who gave of their time as he did.