By Richard Kaufman
Sentinel Reporter
First Selectman Fred Camillo, in collaboration with his Emergency Management Task Force, continues to evaluate the impact of this pandemic upon the operation of various Town facilities, including parks, beaches, marinas, The Griff Golf Course and playgrounds.
On Thursday, Camillo announced the reopening of Binney, Bruce and Byram parks for the use of walking paths, effective April 27. The fields, playgrounds, parking lots and restrooms at those facilities will NOT be open. The beach at Byram Park will remain closed. New signage detailing park use will be installed.
Additionally, starting April 30, there will be limited access – two days per week – to Town marinas for boat owners whose vessels are in winter storage. Specific details on which days and the hours of access will be communicated via email to those boat owners.
Cos Cob Park will be open to walkers from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, beginning Monday, May 4. There will be park monitors on site to allow for controlled access and to ensure walkers adhere to social distancing protocols. The playing field, playgrounds and restrooms will remain closed. Visitors will be able to park at the Cos Cob train station.
Camillo, Parks and Recreation Director Joe Siciliano, and the Greenwich Police Department will continue to review potential operations at The Griff Golf Course as well as Greenwich Point Park.
Siciliano is particularly looking at the impact the pandemic would have on large crowds. Decisions concerning the annual Memorial Day parade organized by the Sound Beach Volunteer Fire Department and the Fourth of July fireworks displays at Greenwich Point Park and Binney Parks, will be announced in coming days.
“Most people I have spoken with, people who have emailed me or texted me have been extremely supportive of the decisions to close Town facilities,” Camillo said on Thursday. “That being said, we also want to be able to allow use of these larger parks in a very measured way, in a way that will not contribute to the spread of the virus. We are not anywhere near back to the old days of doing things and going to the beach or the park.
“I am truly appreciative of the public’s cooperation so far and hope that residents can enjoy some of our great outdoors I am ready to pull back on the use of the parks if social distancing and face mask protocols are not followed.”
Camillo said he was not pressured into the reopening of the parks, and that it has always been his plan to reopen in what he calls “a measured way”. Some Greenwich residents have been vocal about reopening the town in recent days.
“You can’t govern like that. At the end of the day, you’d rather be unpopular in the short term for doing too much, than to have done too little and carry that with you for the rest of your life. We know that we are conferring with both local, state and federal officials, with medical experts following the trends. We’re making decisions because we want people to be healthy and to be together on the other side of this,” he said. “Everything we’re doing is going to be measured. If we find out people are not following the protocols, then we will pull back. We want people to enjoy themselves and be physcially fit and get their exercise in. That’s really important. But at the end of the day, it has to be done in a way that’s not going to infect or reinfect people. We’ve worked too hard to get to this point to do steps backwards.”
An update on Greenwich positive cases and Greenwich Hospital
As of Thursday, there are 608 Greenwich residents who have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Greenwich Health Department Director Caroline Baisley, which is up from the reported number of 582 on Wednesday.
According to Greenwich Hospital as of Thursday, there are 99 COVID-19 positive patients being treated in several different Hospital units. Right now, there are 15 patients in the ICU, of those 14 are on ventilators.
So far, 305 patients have been discharged from the Hospital and continue their recuperation at home. There have been 4,148 people have been tested at the Hospital outpatient test site with 1,520 testing positive. All of these numbers reflect patients who live in Greenwich as well as from other municipalities in Connecticut and Westchester County.
Last week, hospitalization numbers at Greenwich Hospital dipped, but the went up again at the beginning of this week before dropping to 99 as of Thursday. Chief Operating Officer, Diane Kelly, said the increase earlier this week was concerning.
“On the 18th, 19th and 20th of April, being in the low 90’s [for hospitalizations] was very hopeful, then shooting up to 99 and 106 was real concerning. Many of us were concerned that people didn’t use social distancing as much as they had been during the Easter holiday,” she said. “Now we dropped to 99, so it’s still tight and it’s still close, so we’re going to continue watching those trends. We keep saying people have to be mindful of social distancing and wearing their masks.”
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.
