Eastern Highlands Health District Calling For Mask Wearing

TOLLAND, CT — The Eastern Highlands Health District Thursday said it is "urgently calling on all businesses and residents to take steps during the month of January to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our health district communities."

And that means wearing masks, district officials said.

The Health District serves the towns of Ashford, Andover, Bolton, Chaplin, Columbia, Coventry, Mansfield, Tolland, Willington and Scotland.

Here is the official statement:

The current spike in COVID-19 cases within our communities warrants direct action by everyone to curb this surge. Case counts have increased almost six fold in the past six weeks from 49 cases to 275 cases per week within the Health District population.While a few of our member Towns have implemented a local mask mandate, and many continue a policy of masking within Town-owned buildings, the Health District requests in the strongest terms possible that all businesses and residents take direct steps to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in your business, home, and place of work. We encourage all businesses within our communities to adopt masking policies for employees, and your customers.

Member towns, or the health district can provide masks to any business that requests them.

Contact the Health District at 860-429-3325 for additional information.While we recognize state efforts to push out self-tests to the population, as a collection of towns east of the river we have observed that the demand for diagnostic COVID-19 tests has far exceeded the supply in Eastern Connecticut.

We call on Governor Lamont to double the state’s efforts to stand up new state sponsored COVID testing sites, and expand the hours nearby existing sites.Finally, we want to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the basic precautions that each of us can take to protect yourself, your family, and your community.

Get vaccinated, and if eligible get boosted. Avoid large crowds, and social distance whenever possible. Stay home when you are sick. And, wear a mask whenever you may be in proximity to others. Be smart, be safe, and please be courteous.