December 4, 2020

Dear Residents,

As of today, Madison has 33 active cases in our community, in line with previous weeks. Sadly, 4 residents have been hospitalized. We wish everyone suffering from this horrible disease a speedy recovery.   Positive cases in our public schools also remain relatively stable at 8 active cases (including both staff and students).  However, please be aware that experts are predicting a post-Thanksgiving surge in new cases across the state due to holiday travel and the return of college students. Despite wanting to reconnect with our family and friends over the next few weeks, we need to protect each other by maintaining our distance and vigilance in public. Please stop the spread of this disease in our Town by wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing, frequently washing hands, avoiding large gatherings, forgoing unnecessary travel, and getting tested especially when experiencing symptoms or when in close contact with an infected person.  

I am grateful to announce that starting today, Friday, December 4th, the Community Health Center, in conjunction with the Town of Madison and State of Connecticut, opened a COVID testing site at Hammonasset Beach State Park. The site will provide a much-needed testing facility for residents of Madison and surrounding towns. The site is open 7 days a week on a first come, first-served basis, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It is located in the park campgrounds and is not expected to interfere with public use of most of the park for recreational purposes. Testing is available to people with or without symptoms, and to all ages, including children with parental or guardian consent. No appointments or fees are required.  Expect potentially long wait times due to demand.  To save time, print and complete the registration form in advance for each person being tested.  The form is online at www.chc1.com/COVIDTEST. Results are expected to take 3-5 days. Please contact Madison’s Health Department at (203) 245-5681 as soon as you receive a positive test result so we can begin the contact tracing process.

I also want to highlight that the Town is working hard to provide some fun, safe, family friendly outdoor activities for this holiday season. Unfortunately, today’s drive-up holiday concert at Salt Meadow had to be rescheduled to December 18th due to forecasted inclement weather.  The revised concert will begin at 5 pm instead of 6 and is expected to last one hour.  More details can be found on the Beach & Recreation website. On December 11th, we are offering a drive-in holiday movie event at Salt Meadow Park.  We will be showing Frosty's Winter Wonderland starting at 5:30 p.m., then after a brief intermission, Home Alone.  Similar to the movie events held this summer, sound will be run on a transmitter through your car radio. Also starting on December 11th, we are launching a town wide Scavenger Hunt for families to complete on their own. Details on the hunt and how to register is available online. The winner will be announced at the holiday concert on December 18th!

Let’s continue to work together to keep each other safe. Stay safe, healthy and at home Madison.

Peggy Lyons
First Selectwoman