Mayor Limits Gatherings To 10 People

Mayor Justin Elicker — along with his counterparts in Hartford, Hamden and Bridgeport — banned gatherings of more than 10 people in the city, as the number of known New Haveners with COVID-19 rose to seven, with one victim as young as 29.

Elicker and Health Director Maritza Bond addressed that emergency order and provided updates on the unfolding crisis at a daily public-health briefing Thursday afternoon outside City Hall. (Watch the press conference below.)

Elicker also defended the decision to open a facility to quarantine homeless people with COVID-19 at Hill Career Regional High School.

Elicker said that he and his staff have been talking internally about a potential shelter-in-place order, and that some in his administration believe that it’s only a matter of time before the city and the region get to such an order.

The mayor said he’s not sure if that is the case, or if he will ultimately issue such an order for New Haven.

The new emergency order exempts child care centers serving families of public-health workers and first responders. Read the full text of the order here, and below.

It does apply to such social gatherings as ​“community, civic, leisure, and sporting events; parades; concerts; festivals; movie screenings; plays or performances, conventions, and similar activities.”

Test results obtained over the past day raised the level of New Haveners with the coronavirus by three, to a total of seven.

Bond said two of the three new people affected are in the hospital; the other is recovering at home. She said these three new cases represent examples of ​“community spread.” That is, the people who have tested positive contracted the virus within New Haven, and not from traveling outside of the city, as was the case for some of the previous positively identified New Haveners.

The ages of the seven New Haveners who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease range from 29 to the 70s, Bond said. She repeated a plea for people to maintain a distance of six feet from each other and to stay home if sick.

She said officials are waiting on results of two more ​“presumed” cases. And she said city residents should assume that there are many more positive cases in town since many people have yet to be tested.

Earlier Thursday, Elicker came under fire from Hill leaders for the decision to place the facility for homeless people with COVID-19 at Career High School on Legion Avenue. They said the neighborhood already has more than its share of social services, and they fear exposing neighbors to increased risk of contracting the virus.

He responded that a 10-year-old federally approved plan identifies Career as the city’s only approved regional emergency shelter for a case like this. He added that 24 – 7 security will make sure people remain inside the building.

Noting the deaths sweeping other communities further along the COVID-19 trajectory, Elicker argued that the facility will make all New Haveners, including those in the Hill, safer by preventing infected homeless people from spreading the disease.

“I’ve heard a lot of concerns from residents. I hear people. I hear that people are concerned about this site being in their neighborhood. I hear people are concerned that there are a lot of social services in the neighborhood, and it’s time for other places in the city to take on the responsibility. And I agree,” Elicker said.

“But we don’t have time now to wait. We don’t have time to argue. We need to look at the examples of other communities that are 11 days ahead of this experience, where emergency health providers can’t cope with the number of people who are sick. They are making decisions [about which dying people] they can help and they cannot help because they did not act quickly enough.”

“I am not perfect. My staff is not perfect. We are going to make decisions that are not perfect,” Elicker added. ​“We don’t have time for perfection. We don’t have time for disagreement. We must work together.”

At the press conference, Elicker offered an update on ​“grab-and-go” free breakfasts and lunches offered at school sites around the city. The number of people showing up for meals continues to grow, he said, with 2,267 individuals picking up 4,314 meals on Wednesday. He said the former Strong School on Legion Avenue will become a new pick-up site starting Monday.

EMERGENCY ORDER NO. 4 REGARDING GATHERINGS OF MORE THAN TEN INDIVIDUALS IN THE CITY OF NEW HAVEN

WHEREAS, on March 10, 2020, the Governor of the State of Connecticut declared a public health emergency and a civil preparedness emergency for the State of Connecticut, pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes Sections 19a-131 and 28 – 9, in response to the global pandemic of COVID-19 disease associated with a novel coronavirus that is currently affecting multiple countries and states; and,

WHEREAS, on March 12, 2020 the Governor of the State of Connecticut issued Executive Order Number 7, limiting the number of individuals that may convene, meet or otherwise gather throughout the State, to no more than 250 people or more for social and recreational activities including, but not limited to, community, civic, leisure, or sporting events; parades; concerts; festivals; movie screenings; plays or performances; conventions; and similar activities; and,

WHEREAS, on March 13, 2020, the President of the United States declared a national emergency to combat the coronavirus that is currently infecting the population of the United States; and

WHEREAS, on March 15, 2020, the Mayor of the City of New Haven, pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes Sections 28 – 8a(a), 28 – 1(8), and 28 – 22, and Chapter 11, Section 11 – 23 et. seq. of the Code of General Ordinances of the City of New Haven, declared a state of emergency, due to the significant danger to public health posed by the spread of COVID-19 and shortages of supplies and equipment necessary to protect the public health and safety, and the spread of COVID-19 to residents of the City of New Haven as a result of the global pandemic; and

WHEREAS, on March 16, 2020 the Governor of the State of Connecticut amended and modified his Executive Order Number 7 with Executive Order Number 7D, to require that all such gatherings as contemplated and addressed by Executive Order Number 7 be limited to no more than 50 or more people.

WHEREAS, due to the significant adverse impact on public health of COVID-19, and the acceleration of the spread of the disease, the Mayor must take action for the purpose of ensuring civil preparedness and mitigating the adverse effects of this emergency situation upon the residents of New Haven; and

WHEREAS, among best practices and prescribed measures of mitigation in light of this public health emergency is social distancing; and

WHEREAS, in an effort to decompress certain gatherings so as to promote, encourage, allow for and/or create social distancing to combat the transmission of Coronavirus which poses a substantial threat to the public health of the City of New Haven; and,

WHEREAS, the powers granted by Connecticut General Statutes Sections 28 – 8a(a), 28 – 1(8), and 28 – 22, and Chapter 11, Sections 6, 7 and 11 – 23 et. seq. of the Code of General Ordinances of the City of New Haven, proclaim said Mayor to have and exercise all executive and administrative powers conferred upon any municipal chief executive; and

WHEREAS, the duties assigned by the City Charter to the Mayor of the City of New Haven require said Mayor to cause the Charter, the Ordinances and laws to be executed and enforced, and to conserve the peace within the City. The Mayor shall be responsible for the good order and efficient government of the City; and

WHEREAS, in response to the issuance of declarations of a public health emergency and a civil preparedness emergency, a declaration of national emergency and the spread of COVID-19 to residents of the City of New Haven; and

WHEREAS, it is in the best interests of the City and People of New Haven to promote public health and to ensure civil preparedness, to minimize the adverse impact and substantial threat to public health created by the current public health emergency and civil preparedness emergency posed by the spread of COVID-19.

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY PROCLAIMED AND ORDERED that, pursuant to the powers and duties granted in the Connecticut General Statutes and the Code of Ordinances of the City of New Haven, in response to the civil preparedness and public health emergency now facing the City of New Haven, and in accordance with the advice from the City’s public health officials, effective on Friday, March 20, 2020 at 12:01 a.m., gatherings of more than 10 people for social and recreational activities, including but not limited to, community, civic, leisure, and sporting events; parades; concerts; festivals; movie screenings; plays or performances; conventions; and similar activities, are prohibited;

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY PROCLAIMED AND ORDERED that the provisions of this order shall not apply to childcare centers caring for more than 12 children of health care providers or first responders; and

IT IS FURTHER PROCLAIMED AND ORDERED that, order shall remain in effect until September 19, 2020, (the” effective period”) unless amended or earlier terminated; and

IT IS FURTHER PROCLAIMED AND ORDERED that this order will be made publicly available for inspection and review in the Office of the Town Clerk of the City of New Haven and shall be posted on the City of New Haven website.