Bethel Now Requires Masks Inside All Town Buildings

Bethel CT

11 August, 2021

8:35 AM

Description

BETHEL, CT —The Town of Bethel requires masks be worn in all municipal buildings, regardless of the visitor's COVID-19 vaccination status. The order is in effect as of Wednesday, Aug. 11. Face masks will be provided at the main entrances to town hall for visitors who may need one. "According to the latest medical and epidemiological research, [COVID-19] can be spread as easily as the common cold and is infecting a greater proportion of young people, including children than the earlier strain," First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker announced on Tuesday. The first selectman is also urging Bethel residents to get vaccinated against the disease. Over 95 percent of new COVID-19 hospitalizations and fatalities are among the unvaccinated, according to Knickerbocker. As of Aug. 4, a little under 58 percent of Bethel residents are fully vaccinated against the virus, with about 62 percent having received their first dose, according to the state Department of Public Health. Heath officials consider residents fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine. "Although vaccinations remain highly effective at preventing serious symptoms, it is still possible for vaccinated people to catch and spread the virus. Unvaccinated people are particularly vulnerable," Knickerbocker said. The latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend wearing a mask indoors in public if you are in areas of "substantial" or "high" transmissions, which includes Fairfield County. In making the announcement, Knickerbocker also urged all Bethel businesses to require use of masks in all indoor spaces where social distancing is difficult or impossible. The daily coronavirus positivity rate in Connecticut dropped back below 3 percent in the latest data released by the Department of Public Health on Tuesday. Currently, the United States is reporting 75,000 new cases per day, up from a low of 11,000 cases per day just six weeks ago. Deaths have also risen by 31 percent, according to a Washington Post report. The surge in cases has been driven largely by the highly contagious delta variant. While it's unclear whether the delta variant makes people sicker, experts believe it spreads more easily because of mutations, making it better at latching onto cells in our bodies, according to an Associated Press report.