By Richard Kaufman
As of Wednesday, there are 582 Greenwich residents who have tested positive for COVID-19, up from 568 reported on Tuesday, according to Greenwich Health Director, Caroline Baisley.
Greenwich Hospital reports that as of Wednesday, there are 106 COVID-19 positive patients being treated in several different Hospital units. So far, 288 patients have been discharged from the Hospital and continue their recuperation at home. There have been 4,037 people have been tested at the Hospital outpatient test site with 1,496 testing positive. All of these numbers reflect patients who live in Greenwich as well as from other municipalities in Connecticut and Westchester County.
Greenwich hospitalizations have been on the decline as discharges increase, First Selectman Fred Camillo said it’s still too early to make any statement one way or another about the data.
“I have a good feeling about what we’ve been doing, but I don’t want to give false sense of security or create unnecessary alarm with personal opinion. I think we just have to keep our eye on the ball and just keep doing what we’re doing,” he said.
This week, Westport, Conn., and their police department announced that they would be using drone technology to monitor social distancing and detect fever or respiratory ailments.
While Camillo said he sees a lot of upside in what drone technology can do in a variety of areas, such as locating fires for fire departments, finding lost animals, or seeking out criminals, there is also some downside with regards to privacy issues and a lack of policies for usage in place.
“There’s a lot that can be done with drones. Right now, something like what Westport is doing, I tip my hat off to them for trying to do anything and everything that’s reasonable to keep people safe, but of course they’re going to get people who complain abut privacy laws. That’s clearly not the intent of the Westport Police Department. We’ll see what happens there, but currently it’s not under consideration in Greenwich,” Camillo said.
Camillo said that this time in history has served as a learning moment for himself and for the town. For example, virtual meetings and working from home occasionally could become a part of normal life, whenever that returns in the future.
But the last few weeks can also prepare the town for perhaps a second wave of coronavirus. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday that a second wave could hit later this year and be complicated to deal with.
“This has made me pay a little more attention to these things. When you hear the report that late fall early winter there may be a second wave of this and it coincides with the regular flu season, and you look at the strain that was put on our healthcare system, it starts to make you look at things a little differently,” Camillo said. “And it make you appreciate all that our healthcare workers do. Now I won’t take it for granted so much that it’s not a big deal. It is a big deal, and this really drives that home.”
Other resources for residents and businesses and other helpful tips
For residents with questions about COVID-19, please call the Greenwich HealthDepartment’s phone lines: 203-622 -7865; 203-622-7703; 203-622-7614; 203-622- 7842 and 203-622-7836.
To reach the Domestic Abuse Services staff at the YWCA, please call the 24/7 hotline at 203-622-0003.
Residents, who need assistance with basic needs, including food, can call the Department of Human Services at.203-622-3800.
Members of the public are encouraged to sign-up for the Town’s Emergency AlertNotification System at greenwichct.bbcportal.com/Entry
If you are concerned about an activity or a group not following COVID-19 protocols, please call the Greenwich Police Department’s non-emergency phone number: 203-622- 8004.
Don’t have a face mask? Many people with COVID-19 are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic, meaning they can transmit the virus without knowing they have it. Easy to follow instructions to make cloth facial masks can be found here.
