Dear Residents,

We can be grateful today that Madison has experienced a reduction in active cases for our community to 26, which is significantly down from levels reported in previous weeks. However, unfortunately, we also experienced one new fatality, the first in our town since the early days of the pandemic in the spring. Our hearts are with the affected family, and with everyone who continues to suffer from this horrible disease. Local cases continue to cross a spectrum of age ranges and circumstances, with some family outbreaks causing small clusters. Madison’s Health Department is actively contact tracing each new case so please remember to call them at (203) 245-5681 as soon as you receive a positive test result.  

We can also be grateful that positive cases in our public schools fell over this past week to 10 active cases (including both staff and students), which is almost half from the previous week. In addition, the District reported no new cases in the schools leading up to Thanksgiving. The District will continue to monitor cases at the K-8 level to ensure that school can offer safe, in-person instruction as long as possible. Daniel Hand High School will stay remote through December 4th.

Despite case reductions in Madison, we must remember that spread continues across the state, reinforcing the need to follow CDC guidelines whenever possible.  This includes wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing, frequently washing hands, avoiding large gatherings, forgoing unnecessary travel, and getting tested when experiencing symptoms or when in close contact with an infected person.  Due to delays in testing, the Connecticut DPH is launching an additional 60 testing sites to reduce wait time and create greater accessibility, including adding more options along the shoreline. I will notify the community as soon as more local testing sites become available.  Information on where to get tested can be found on the State’s 211 website at www.211ct.org/covidtesting where you can search for convenient testing locations throughout Connecticut. 

This weekend is Small Business Saturday and I encourage everyone to visit our local stores to start holiday shopping and enjoy our beautifully lit up downtown. Tomorrow, downtown shopping will include outdoor holiday market vendors and a drive-by Santa.  Santa can be seen Saturday in front of Academy Street School from 2 to 3:30 p.m.; please enter the viewing area in your car via Copse Road to Meetinghouse Lane to visit Santa.  More details on weekend activities can be found at www.madisonct.com.

Finally, let us be grateful for all those dedicated men and women who work hard to serve and protect all of us during these challenging times; this includes our healthcare workers, first responders, and educators. While many of us greatly missed our more traditional Thanksgiving celebrations this year, where we could gather endlessly with friends and family without concerns of harming each other, know that our collective efforts will save lives and guide us more quickly to a speedy recovery. 

Enjoy the rest of this holiday weekend. Stay safe, healthy and at home Madison.

Peggy Lyons
First Selectwoman