Report by Paula Antolini, August 13, 2021, 5:42PM EDT
August 13, 2021
Community Newsletter
MASK MANDATE EXTENDED DUE TO SPREAD OF DELTA VARIANT
The Town of Bethel recently imposed a mandatory mask requirement in all town-owned buildings, regardless of vaccine status. Unfortunately, the most recent data on the COVID-19 “Delta” variant shows a continued rapid increase in the spread of this highly contagious virus. Furthermore, health authorities expect to see more of the same over the next few weeks.
As a consequence, the Town of Bethel will join forces with our neighboring towns of Danbury, Ridgefield, Redding, Brookfield and New Fairfield, as well as many national retailers, in extending the mask requirement to include all publicly used indoor spaces.
Effective Monday, August 16th, the use of face masks that cover the nose and mouth is mandatory in all indoor areas, both public and private, regardless of vaccine status, where safe social distancing cannot be maintained. This includes all indoor spaces that are open to the public. Business owners are advised to post notices at all entry points to inform the public of the requirement (see list below for exclusions).
The Delta variant has been found to be more highly contagious than the original (“Alpha”) strain. It is more easily contracted, especially by children, and can be spread asyinptoniatically to unvaccinated family members with the potential for very serious or fatal consequences.
We sincerely hope this measure will be temporary. We will continue to monitor the data issued by the Centers for Disease Control and the Connecticut Department of Public Health and will adjust our policies as needed.
Not included in this order:
–Private residences
–Work spaces not accessible to the general public
–Indoor restaurant dining when seated at the table
–Outdoor dining
Thank you for your cooperation in helping keep our community safe.
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