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03/10/2020 12:00 AMThe town is making preliminary plans and taking precautions against the looming threat of coronavirus, according to First Selectman Peggy Lyons, as the disease continues to spread around the country, causing economic distress and sickening hundreds.
Connecticut announced its first two presumptive cases this past week, and Lyons said she has met with Madison’s emergency services and school representatives twice this past week to speak about eventualities and procedures related to the virus. Mostly, the town has to wait for a state declaration of emergency, Lyons said, which would empower Madison’s health director, Trent Joseph, with certain powers or responsibilities.
According to Connecticut state law, a declaration of public health emergency gives the state the ability to charge local health directors with the authority to carry the state’s emergency plan, including quarantines or vaccinations.
At press time, Joseph had not responded to multiple requests for comment from The Source.
Lyons said the town additionally has a list of public events running through May 1 that it might have to be ready to cancel.
One concern, according to Lyons, is that with Madison’s town meeting form of government, a long-term ban on any public gathering could be a huge impediment to the basic function of the town. She said that if that type of a ban is imminent, Madison will “look to the state for guidance on how to handle that.”
Lyons pointed out that a recent successful test of livesteaming Board of Selectmen (BOS) meetings on YouTube could be very important if residents are restricted from public gatherings, allowing them to keep up with important safety information put out by the BOS from wherever they are.
Superintendent of Schools Tom Scarice had not responded to requests for comment or more information about the school’s coronavirus preparations at press time.
District representatives provided The Source with a communication dated March 5 that had been sent out to community members, which detailed extra cleaning efforts in the schools, including the addition of hand-sanitizer dispensers, and linked to various Connecticut and federal resources on the coronavirus.
The district also canceled a school-sponsored trip to Europe that had been scheduled during spring break, according to the communication.