Dear Friends,
Individual efforts to contain Covid 19 in Town need to be reinforced during the coming Holiday Season. As predicted, most towns in Connecticut, including Cornwall, saw a sharp rise in the positive tests as an after effect of extra socializing during Thanksgiving. Infection rates have now somewhat stabilized at these higher levels.
A single case at CCS was recorded last week. Appropriate isolation measures were taken and the school is now on its Holiday Break. Many thanks to Principal Mary Kay Ravenola, her Staff, Students, and Parents for their cooperation and teamwork that made the semester a success.
Emergency Management Director Diane Beebe and Emergency Medical Service Capt. Joyce Hart are working with Torrington Area Health Department on getting our emergency medical responders vaccinated. Area health care workers are scheduled to start receiving the vaccines this week. We will publicize relevant vaccination information as soon as we obtain it. The State maintains an updated website at https://portal.ct.gov/coronavirus with the latest information. Hopefully, the vaccines will start to cut the infection rates in the coming months, but the use of masks, hand sanitizer, and social distancing are likely to be recommended for our foreseeable future. We remain very concerned about the regions that are getting “slammed”. An article on the critical situation in Southern California quoted an ER doctor as saying, “the critical cases had a common story of people who had been careful letting safety measures relax around their own dining room table. People were not getting the virus at work or shopping. The transmission was happening repeatedly at people’s homes.” That reinforces the need for individual actions.
On the positive side, the Food and Fuel Fund has helped us – with Heather Dinneen’s guidance – send big holiday food baskets and toys to about 40 families in Cornwall. Some extra toys were also delivered to a social service agency in Waterbury for distribution there. Thanks again to the many volunteers who put in some quality mask time transporting, packaging, and distributing these necessary goods. Also, thanks to the people who have furnished decorations and lights to make this holiday season in Cornwall a little brighter apart but together.
Best wishes for safe holidays,
Gordon Ridgway,
1st Selectman
Town of Cornwall
