Health Director on New Mask Rules: ‘Those That Are Fully Vaccinated Can Feel Safer’

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Longstanding requirements to wear masks both indoors and in some outdoor settings changed this week, eliminating many of the rules that residents and businesses have grappled with since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, officials say. As of Wednesday, following CDC guidance, Gov. Ned Lamont ordered that masks are no longer required outdoors and also relaxed many of public-health related rules for those who are fully vaccinated. “It’s a huge change,” New Canaan Health Director Jenn Eielson told NewCanaanite.com. “I mean everyone’s been wearing masks now since last April.”

Specifically, people who received their final vaccine dose at least two weeks ago need not wear a mask or social-distance indoors or outdoors, except in schools, childcare settings, nursing homes, healthcare facilities, public transportation or private businesses that require them. (Unvaccinated people are still required to wear masks indoors, Lamont said.)

When asked if fully vaccinated people could enter businesses without a mask, Eielson said businesses “can still decide if they want to require masks or not.”

She added, “My advice would be just to keep a mask handy because you never know what business is going to ask you to put one on.”

Masks are only recommended in large outdoor settings where young unvaccinated children may be, she said.

Dr. Harrison Pierce

COVID-19: New Canaan Health and Human Services Chair Urges Residents To Continue To Be Cautious

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Though thousands of New Canaanites are being tested and vaccinated at clinics that are filling to capacity and receiving high praise for their efficiency and effectiveness, health officials are urging residents to be cautious amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Even on the high side, some of the vaccines now being administered to town residents are perhaps 95% effective and “it’s still 5%” outside of that protection, according to Dr. Harrison Pierce, chair of the Health & Human Services Commission. “We have had three or four people locally who have been vaccinated and have gotten the disease, or at least tested positive,” Pierce said during the Commission’s regular meeting, held Thursday via videoconference. 

“And it’s happening in the community, too. So we have to take all the precautions that we were taking previously and reinstitute them if we are not continuing with them. The travel issue is big and you are going to have to, via the DPH [Connecticut Department of Public Health]/CDC, you are going to have to quarantine seven days coming back and then negative test before you re-enter society.”

The comments came following a general update from New Canaan Health Director Jenn Eielson.

Dr. Harrison Pierce

Health Director on Complaints from Residents 55-and-Over: ‘We Have Been Getting Screamed At’

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As the town turned its focus this week to vaccinating New Canaan Public Schools educators following a state directive, residents 55-and-older who also became eligible for vaccine shots March 1 have been forcefully lodging complaints, according to the municipal health director. School faculty and staff members were “crying tears of joy” Wednesday during the clinic at Lapham Community Center at what Jenn Eielson called “by far the best clinic we have ever had.”

Even so, “This week has been awful for me,” Eielson said during a regular meeting of the Health & Human Services Commission, held Thursday morning via videoconference. “I’ve been beaten up beyond belief, because we are not doing the 55-and-over,” she said. “We have been getting screamed at every single day. So yesterday was a welcome relief of people that were actually happy.

Around Town

Podcast: New Canaan Health Director Jenn Eielson on COVID-19 Virus, Vaccinations

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This week on 0684-Radi0, our free podcast (subscribe here in the iTunes Store), we talk to New Canaan Health Director Jenn Eielson about COVID-19 virus—how the town is faring in reducing infection rates and getting residents vaccinated, what are some common misconceptions regarding coronavirus and whether Jenn has enough peanut butter and chocolate to get through these next few months. 

Here are recent episodes of 0684-Radi0:

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Health Director: New Canaan’s Vaccine Allocation Doubles [UPDATE]

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[Note: This article has been updated to say the state is discussing prioritizing vaccinations for 65- to 74-year-olds next.]

New Canaan is seeing new positive cases of COVID-19 virus trend down week-by-week, Health Director Jenn Eielson said Thursday, and the state recently doubled the number of vaccinations made available to the town. The town saw a “sustained high” in cases starting in early November, and that’s been changing recently, “so this is good progress,” Eielson told members of the Health & Human Services Commission during their regular meeting, held via videoconference. “But we knew that was going to happen with the holidays and gatherings,” she said. “So this is good news.”

In offering COVID testing with Waveny LifeCare Network, the town is seeing about 92% of open slots filled up, which is “great news,” Eielson said. “People are still testing and wanting to be tested.