Dear Residents,
Regretfully, Madison now has 43 active cases in our community, reflecting a post-Thanksgiving uptick that was predicted to occur across the state. We also experienced one new fatality, and have one resident currently hospitalized due to this horrible disease. Our hearts are with the affected families, and with everyone who continues to suffer from this horrible disease.
Positive cases in our public schools have remained relatively stable, now at 13 active cases (including both staff and students). Madison’s K-8 schools continue to offer in-person learning, and Daniel Hand High School switched back from remote learning to a hybrid learning format. Let’s all continue to work together to keep our schools open and protect our most vulnerable in our community. 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.
For those looking to get tested, 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 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 does not 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. Results are expected to take 3-5 days. To save time, print and complete the registration form found at www.chc1.com/COVIDTEST in advance for each person being tested. Note that due to high demand, the wait time for testing can vary and be as long as two hours. CHC staff actively monitors the number of cars waiting and may need to turn people away from joining the line by afternoon if it has reached daily testing capacity. Other testing sites can be found on the State’s 211 website at www.211ct.org/covidtesting. 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.
To assist struggling families during this challenging holiday season, the Madison Police Department is holding its annual Stuff-a-Cruiser Food and Toy Drive. Please bring all donations for drop-off at an outside collection bin in front of the Police Department on Campus Drive. Donations can be made 24/7 through December 31st. A list of suggested donations can be found on the Town website.
A reminder that tonight, Friday, December 11th, the Beach & Recreation Department is hosting 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. The holiday concert at Salt Meadow Park has been rescheduled for December 18th. The concert will begin at 5 pm at and is expected to last one hour. More details can be found on the Beach & Recreation website.
Finally, the Town, in close coordination with the State, is working on a vaccination plan for first responders, and an eventual roll-out of mass community vaccinations. We will provide more information to the public once details have been finalized. In the meantime, we need to focus on stopping the spread in our town to keep each other safe.
Stay safe, healthy and at home Madison.
Peggy Lyons
First Selectwoman