Greenwich Selectmen to Discuss Enforcement Measures for Social Distancing and Mask Wearing

The Board of Selectmen will hold a special meeting on Aug 5 via Zoom to discuss enforcement of social distancing and and mask wearing protocols that reflect Governor Ned Lamont’s Executive Orders.

The meeting is at 1:00pm. (Click here for agenda and meeting link).

As for those flouting the rules, First Selectman Fred Camillo said on Friday, “There are some people who are either forgetful or completely disregarding it.”

“There’s no point in putting out a weekly email and reverse 911 call if some parents are going to let their kids have large gatherings where they’re not physically distancing and not wearing masks,” Camillo said. “Unfortunately it’s come down to that. There’s going to be consequences if you knowingly disregard the protocols and guidelines, and executive orders that the governor put out.”

The meeting will include representatives from the Greenwich Police Dept and the Greenwich Health Dept.

Camillo said enforcement is at the discretion of municipalities, and some towns have created a series of fines of $100, $250, or even $1,000 – or made non compliance a Class C felony.

“We want to send a message that we’re serious about this. It may go in and out of young adults, but it may not in somebody that person comes in contact with who may not have the same immune system to fight it off,” he said.

Earlier this week Health Dept director Caroline Baisley said in an interview with GFP that her staff are working on contact tracing for young people who had attended large gatherings over the weekend of July 16-19, resulting in some positive Covid-19 tests results, but that cooperation was lacking.

Camillo said if anyone is contacted by the Board of Health, currently the idea is not punishment, but rather protection.

“After Wednesday (Aug 5) it will be about both,” he added. “We want to know who you’ve been in contact with so we can do the contact tracing.”

This week, on Wednesday, Ms Baisley said two employees had tested positive at The Griff, the town-owned golf course, but shortly after the interview she learned that one of them had a false positive.

At Thursday’s Parks & Rec board meeting, director Joe Siciliano explained the situation in detail. He said on Tuesday, an employee in the pro shop at the Griff tested positive. He and his staff had gotten tested after a young man who picks up golf balls on the range called Sunday night to say he had tested positive.

Siciliano said the good news was that the employee was primarily out on the range and had limited contact with people in the pro shop.

He said all the staff tested negative, except for the one pro shop employee.

Parks & Rec followed all CDC guidelines and advice of the Health Dept.

The pro shop employee left the facility and they switched over to using an exterior window for golfers renting carts. They already were disinfecting the golf carts each time they were used and were disinfecting the range balls and baskets daily.

“That is a standard protocol, and we continue to reinforce that,” Siciliano said. “The Health Dept took over the case and did contact tracing to see who he was in contact with.”

On Wednesday afternoon the pro shop employee was notified by the testing facility that they thought they were having a technical problem with Monday’s tests. He went back Wednesday night and received test with 99% accurate results indicating that was negative for the virus.

His doctor said the employee could resume work immediately. The shop reopened Friday for normal business.

“Well handled,” said Parks & Rec chair Gary Dell’Abate. “Forget about the fact that the test was wrong – I’m glad to hear how well it was handled when we thought something was wrong.”

See also:

Greenwich Schools Superintendent ‘Town Hall’ on School Reopening Draws 900+ Attendees on Zoom

UPDATED: Two Employees Test Positive for Covid at The Griff; Health Dept Urges Youth Who Attended Parties to Get Tested