MERIDEN — As the city’s COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to climb, city officials urged residents to follow public health guidelines.
“We need all of your help to flatten this curve. It’s going to be a very rough road ahead, but I can assure you that Meriden will get through this,” Health and Human Services Director Lea Crown said in an update at this week’s virtual City Council meeting.
Crown’s plea Monday night came just hours after the city announced its third death from COVID-19 — a 95-year-old male, according to City Manager Tim Coon.
There have been 64 confirmed cases in Meriden since March 19, the date the city’s first case was recorded. The vast majority are recovering, Crown said.
“What I can report is people are getting better,” she said, “however, this is a case-by-case basis. Some individuals are recovering much, much faster than others. So I did want to put some positive news out there.”
The majority of cases are men in their 40s, Crown said in her presentation, adding people of all ages — from 20 to 95 are contracting the virus.
Crown urged residents to continue following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC most recently recommended wearing a cloth mask over the mouth when out in public. Details about the recommendation can be found on the CDC website.
Following Crown’s presentation, the City Council passed a resolution urging residents to follow CDC guidelines. It stated, “The Mayor and City Council beseech every resident to take personal responsibility and follow guidance prescribed by (the CDC) and issued through the Meriden Department of Public Health.”
“I can assure the City Council and residents of Meriden that your local health department is working almost 24/7 to monitor this situation in our community,” Crown said, “and to ensure that we are providing our community stakeholders and our residents with the most up-to-date CDC guidance.”
Council Majority Leader David Lowell praised the city’s pandemic response. Lowell, the COO of Hunter’s Ambulance, which provides ambulance service in Meriden and surrounding towns, said the city’s response has been “unparalleled.”
“I have the unique position to interact with other cities and towns in the area and I can say to the public that the response from the leadership of the city manager, the director of health, and … our emergency manager is unparalleled,” Lowell said. “The city is in good hands, the decisions that are made are informed.”
The meeting Monday was the City Council’s first virtual meeting held during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many residents were unable to watch in real-time. The city is working to upload a recording to its website.
mzabierek@record-journal.com203-317-2279Twitter: @MatthewZabierek