Mayor David Martin Issues Mask Mandate For Stamford

Stamford CT

10 August, 2021

12:17 PM

Description

STAMFORD, CT — In what Mayor David Martin described as a proactive measure against COVID-19 and the emerging delta variant, Stamford will require that masks be worn in all retail and indoor public spaces in the city, regardless of vaccination status, beginning at 8 a.m. on Aug. 12. Martin made the announcement in a virtual press conference on Tuesday morning. Last week, Gov. Ned Lamont gave municipal leaders the option of requiring masks in indoor settings. Martin also said that effective Thursday, masking will be required at all outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people at Stamford facilities or parks. "The delta variant is changing the game. It's much more transmissible, there's some indication it's more severe, and it is spreading among the unvaccinated," Martin said Tuesday. "We're trying to be ahead of the curve and stop this coronavirus, which will cripple not only people, but will cripple our economy as well." Martin's announcement comes as COVID-19 cases are increasing both around the country and locally. In mid-June, Stamford was experiencing less than a half case per day on a seven-day average. As of Tuesday morning, that number was at 23 cases per day. Hospitalizations are up as well. On June 26, there were zero patients being treated at Stamford Hospital. Martin said there are 15 being treated in-house Tuesday, of which seven people — all unvaccinated — are requiring "critical care needs." Two patients are in the Intensive Care Unit, he said. Masking In Schools According to the New York Times, the delta variant is causing a surge in pediatric COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending masking for teachers, students and visitors to K-12 schools The Stamford Board of Education has the authority when it comes to masking, and no decision has been made yet for this school year, which begins Aug. 30. "The Superintendent [Dr. Tamu Lucero] and I are in communication on these issues, and I and the city's acting director of health, Jody Bishop-Pullan, are recommending to the Board of Education that they mandate vaccinations of their staff, just as I have mandated vaccines for the city staff, and that they require masks for students when they are indoors, similar to our policy in all city facilities." Last week, Martin announced that all city employees will need to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 7, or else they'll have to submit a weekly negative COVID-19 test. Martin will make his recommendation on masking to the Board of Education on Tuesday night. "Our children are not vaccinated, and therefore, we have an obligation to not only protect ourselves, we have an obligation to protect them by reducing the spread in this community, particularly as we get ready to open the schools here in late August and the fall," he said. Enforcement Martin said warnings and enforcement on the mask mandate will begin this weekend. The much-anticipated Hey Stamford! Food Festival will take place on Aug. 14 at Mill River Park. Martin acknowledged that enforcement will be difficult in settings where people are largely eating and drinking. "Nonetheless, this is the rule we want to see followed and we will have people there saying, 'You should have your mask on.' We'll have masks available to people there," Martin said, also noting the upcoming Alive At 5 and Wednesday Nite Live concert series slated for September. Businesses have a responsibility to make sure that their patrons and customers are masked, Martin said, adding that he understands he's put them "in a little bit of a tough position." "Blame me," Martin said. "I'm the guy who's making the order, I'm going to make the tough call. It is to protect your customers, protect your employees, protect our community." Similar to when capacity limits were in place in 2020, a team will be monitoring to see which businesses comply with the mask policy. "We're one of the few communities that actually is trying to enforce the regulations. As before, our goal is not to shut down the businesses. Our goal is to help them as much as we can, and so we will be giving alerts or warnings. It's only businesses that appear to continually defy this order or allow it to be defied that we'll come back [to them]," Martin said. "I really don't believe we're going to have to shut down any businesses. But we're going to do what we have to do to protect this community." Martin pointed to Stamford's high vaccination rate of 85 percent among the eligible population, which represents the largest number for a city with at least 70,000 people in Connecticut. "I'm upset. I don't want this to happen. I was hoping that coronavirus was behind us," Martin said. "If we can get these numbers back down in a couple of weeks, then we're going to take this [policy] off. Right now, we need to be ahead of the curve rather than waiting and seeing what's going to happen."