Mayor Harry Rilling Issues Mask Mandate For Norwalk

NORWALK, CT — Mayor Harry Rilling announced Tuesday masks will be required in all Norwalk establishments, regardless of a person's coronavirus vaccination status, beginning Friday.

In a statement, Rilling said his executive order affects all establishments in Norwalk, including bars, restaurants, gyms, movie theaters and supermarkets, where physical distancing cannot be maintained. This order will be enforced by the city's police and health departments.

Last week, Gov. Ned Lamont gave municipal leaders the option of requiring masks in indoor settings. New mask requirements come as the highly contagious delta variant of the virus continues to sweep across the nation.

"As the delta variant spreads, our case numbers and test positivity rate continue to climb to levels we have not seen in months," Rilling said in a statement. "Last year, we began seeing a resurgence in cases in late September, however we are starting to see that trend happen now. Transmission is high, and we are following the CDC guidelines."

Rilling also noted that while he believes a statewide policy, rather than hundreds of different approaches, makes the most sense as the city sees a resurgence of the virus, he felt it was important to reinstate the mask mandate across Norwalk to keep residents safe.

"Wearing a mask, watching your distance, and washing your hands are proven simple steps we can all take that have a big impact," Rilling said. "I appreciate residents, employers and customers for their continued cooperation."

Last week, Rilling issued an order that staff and visitors must wear masks inside all city properties, regardless of their vaccination status. While Lamont's current executive order requires unvaccinated people to wear masks indoors, the spread of the delta variant and rising case rates prompted Rilling to extend the order locally across Norwalk.

Dave Sigworth, a spokesperson for the Maritime Aquarium, said the aquarium already began requiring guests to wear masks, regardless of their vaccination status, on July 31 after the state department of public health recommended a return to wearing masks indoors.

Prior to July 31, the aquarium required unvaccinated guests and children between the ages of 2 and 11 who cannot be vaccinated to wear masks. Vaccinated guests were also asked, but not required, to wear masks.

"I would say that the reaction from our guests has been almost entirely positive and receptive," Sigworth said. "We're even handing out masks at the entrance to guests who are unaware of the policy, and we've had no issues."

According to data provided by the city Tuesday, roughly 28,000 Norwalk residents are still not fully vaccinated. While some of these people are eligible for the vaccine, many others are under the age of 12 and not currently eligible to be vaccinated.

People who are unvaccinated are at a higher risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19, city officials said. Over the last month, the coronavirus test positivity rate in Norwalk went from under 1 percent to over 3 percent, and the case rate climbed from less than 5 cases per 100,000 population to over 10 per 100,000 population, according to city officials.

City officials also noted "breakthrough infections" of the virus in fully vaccinated residents are rare, and the Connecticut Department of Public Health reports a total of 1,171 confirmed cases of the virus among fully vaccinated residents as of Aug. 3.

Of the more than 2.1 million people in Connecticut who have completed their vaccine series, less than 0.06 percent of fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut have contracted the virus, according to city officials. The majority of new cases and hospitalizations around the state continue to be those who are not vaccinated.

"Getting more people vaccinated will help us beat this pandemic," Rilling said. "I encourage those eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Let's all double down on our efforts to stop the spread of this virus and keep each other safe. If you are eligible, please get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Further information regarding the virus, including testing locations and vaccine clinics, can be found at norwalkct.org/citynews.