The Town’s goal is to provide guidance and assistance for businesses to reopen safely for their customers and their employees. We are working with our businesses to ensure they are following the protocols and safety guidelines established by the CDC and Health Department and we encourage our residents to support our business community by complying with these guidelines. I have brought together many of our Town departments to identify how we can help businesses navigate through this process and cut through the normal governmental red tape. Below in this email are links with more information on the state’s reopening protocols and local procedures. 

As the Governor continues to release guidelines through Executive Order, my administration and I will continue to meet and share those with our business community. For example, we are directly working with our restaurant owners to assist with expanding their outdoor footprint so they can serve more customers during this difficult economic time. Today we hosted conference calls with our retail shops and salons. I will continue to do whatever I can to help our local businesses. 

The town has given out over 7,200 face masks to local businesses and we have compiled a list of local suppliers of PPE and other safety materials that may be necessary for businesses to reopen safely. Any one running a business in our town who hasn’t already reached out and needs assistance can do so by contacting our Economic Development Department

I have received many inquiries on summer camp programs and I understand the need for child care for many families. We have been provided with very strict protocols by the State of Connecticut that included many restrictions and will require an extraordinary amount of careful planning by the Town. We are still assessing if we would be able to provide a camp experience under these stringent guidelines. The Park and Recreation Department sent out a survey to determine how many families would utilize these services so the Town can determine how best to move forward. This is a very challenging issue that requires careful planning and attention to detail. We will continue to provide information as it becomes available. 

ADDITIONAL REOPENINGS:
The parking lot at Penfield Beach will now be open and at 50% capacity starting this Saturday, May 16th at 8:00 a.m. The beaches remain open to Fairfield residents for walking and passive recreation only with a 2020 beach sticker or receipt proving purchase.

The slides outlining current guidelines for public spaces are linked  below or you can visit fairfieldrecreation.com

TOWN OPERATIONS:
While many towns have suspended services or closed their doors, our town government continues to deliver meals, provide social services, issue permits, licenses, real estate transactions, beach stickers, and DPW is in full operation. I thank all of our Town employees for their cooperation and positive attitudes and our residents for their patience in adapting to new protocols. I am proud of our employees for continuing services to residents during this challenging time. Everything is a little more difficult but we have proven it is not impossible. This week we met with each Department Head to assess our current operations and prepare to have our town employees who have been working remotely return to the building. We will do this with the same cautious approach we have applied to all our decision making throughout this pandemic.

This press release was made possible by: