July 10, 2020 - Coronavirus Update #33

To:        All residents
From:    Steve Dunn, First Selectman

UPDATE ON NUMBER OF CASES

State reporting of confirmed cases continues to move up and down so we now reporting 166 confirmed cases in Brookfield. We remain at 8 deaths due to the Corona Virus. The last death we had in town was on June 18^th, 2020. The last 4 cases of the virus in town were all people within the same household.

CT has some of the lowest numbers amongst States for number of new cases, number of hospitalizations and most importantly, the number of deaths from this virus and we have achieved that together by taking care of each other by acting responsibly wherever we are.

To be accurate, we will only report cases confirmed by our Director of Public Health.

MESSAGES TO RESIDENTS USING CodeRED

This is the 33^rd update we have sent out to the town on the CodeRED system during the pandemic and it will be the last message we send for now. We will restart resending CodeRED messages if and when the situation warrants it. We thank everyone for signing up for the system. We now have over 1200 users and we would like to see that grow so please do tell your neighbors about the system. You can sign up by clicking on the CodeRED icon on the bottom of the main page on the town website.

PLAYGROUNDS WILL OPEN TUESDAY THE 14^TH

Our playgrounds will open Tuesday. Please be aware that we do not have the capability to sanitize the playgrounds so we urge everyone to use caution, especially if you or your child has a compromised system. The basketball courts will remain closed on advice of our Director of Public Health.

TAXES DUE

Taxers must be paid by August 3^rd in order to avoid a penalty. We are asking everyone to mail in their tax payments, drop them off in the box in front of Town Hall or go online to pay. Please note that there is an additional charge imposed by the card processer to pay online.  If you want a mailed receipt please include a self-addressed stamped envelope and we will mail you your receipt. You can also check online to confirm we have received and recorded your tax payment.

PRIMARY ELECTIONS ON AUGUST 11^th

There will be a presidential primary on August 11^th. Due to the pandemic, the Secretary of State has sent every registered Republican and Democrat in the State the form to request an absentee ballot from the Town Clerk. The form includes giving the COVID  19 pandemic as the reason for requesting an absentee ballot. Every voter is eligible to check that box and request an absentee ballot. Our polling locations at the High School and Huckleberry School will be open for normal walk in voting for those who prefer to vote in person on the 11^th.

STILL RIVER GREENWAY

The Greenway is open, and many residents are using it. Unfortunately, we are still getting numerous reports that many people on the Greenway are not wearing masks, there are people running without masks on the Greenway and others are using bicycles on the path.  We need everyone to protect each other by only walking on the Greenway and wearing a mask at during your entire walk. We want to keep the Greenway open and keep residents safe at the same time and to do both, we all have to follow the rules. Please take care of your neighbor’s safety by following the rules.

BEACH IS OPEN

The beach at Cadigan Park is open. Use of the beach is by reservation which you can do on line or by calling the Parks and Rec office. We remind everyone that you must have a pass to enter the beach and passes are only sold at the Parks and Rec office in Old Town Hall. In order to meet State guidelines, we have to limit the number of people on the beach at one time. More information can be seen on the town website: https://www.brookfieldct.gov/parks-recreation/news/town-park-beach-2020

FARMERS MARKET IS NOW OPEN

The Farmers Market is open and running at the Town Hall location. It is open on Fridays from 3 to 6 PM.

OPENING TOWN HALL

We will be carefully returning Town Hall to normal operations. It is taking a lot of work to make the building safe for our residents. To keep residents safe, we are reconfiguring our offices and installing sneeze shields in all offices that the public visits. We have started to receive in the new equipment and install it. If you have need to, you can make an appointment with the department you are visiting. We encourage everyone to use our online services if possible to conduct business with the town. When you visit Town Hall, you must wear a mask at all times, have your temperature checked and answer the CDC health questions. If you have any concerns about your health, please do not come to Town Hall. We are planning to open Town Hall to walk-ins in early August, actual date to be determined.

COVID-19 INFORMATION

These are important links to keep up to date on the Coronavirus:

State of Connecticut’s Coronavirus Information

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)

World Health Organization (WHO)

Small Business Owners who need assistance in paying workers whose hours have been cut