By Cathy Iino.
Hello, Killingworth-
The executive producer of the TV show Friday Night Lights recently wrote a script for how
Coach Taylor would address his team in the time of coronavirus:
“There is a certain segment of our population who believe that the rules do not apply to them. That they don’t have to worry about all this. . . . Gentlemen. You will put yourself and your family and your community at serious risk if you act like a jackass. So I’m asking you to take this as seriously as you have taken anything in your life. Practice your social distancing. Stay at home. Your social calendars are officially on hold. And in case I haven’t made myself clear enough, let me state it more plainly. No parties. . . . No physical contact. Is this absolutely clear?”
Friday saw the number of COVID-19 cases in Connecticut continue to surge, especially in the western part of the state. In his daily briefing on Friday, Governor Lamont referred to a graph that showed the “Eastern Counties” of Connecticut–including Middlesex County–with a projected peak number of hospitalizations per day at about a fifth of the number in Fairfield County. That’s pretty good news for us. But the most important words on the graph might be: Assumes Social Distancing. We can’t let our frustration and impatience make us less vigilant.
New alert system. Killingworth, in cooperation with Haddam, is launching a new alert system that will allow us to reach you in a timely, targeted manner. Routine messages will be sent to your email. Important messages will be sent to you by email and text. Critical messages will be sent to you by email, text, and voice phone call.
You can sign up at member.everbridge.net or text AlertKW to 888777. You may enter more than one phone number or email address for alerts. If you have already signed up for CTAlerts, you will need to sign up for the Haddam-Killingworth system separately and use a different user ID.
Please sign up! This system will give us more flexibility and speed in getting out important messages. We will be able to target emergency messages to particular parts of town. (We will, however, continue to use the systems in place, such as this one, until we have good coverage through the Everbridge AlertKW system.)
Health Insurance. The special enrollment period for Access Health CT has been extended through Friday, April 17, 2020 for qualified uninsured Connecticut residents to enroll in a health insurance plan. For information on how to apply, click here.
Individuals who experience a Qualifying Life Event (such as loss of coverage due to job change or unemployment) or qualify for Medicaid/Children’s Health Program (CHIP), can ALWAYS enroll online, in-person or over the phone. All help is free.
Chatfield Hollow. The state parks are open for solitary recreation, not group activities. To prevent the parks from becoming crowded and maintain social distancing, the state is closing parks when they are at capacity. Restrooms and pavilions are closed and picnicking is banned. Parking along the road outside a park and walking into it is prohibited. Individuals who enter a park after it reaches capacity may be fined. The state will announce when a park is at capacity on Twitter @CTStateParks.
I have contacted the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection about the fact that residents of Killingworth often walk into Chatfield Hollow and may not be aware of the restrictions. Commissioner Dykes said they would be sensitive to that. But we probably don’t want to be there anyway when it gets crowded, so check Twitter first.
As Coach Taylor concluded,
“We may not be on the field together right now, but we are all in this together. Together, we are going to stay strong. We are going to stay united. We are going to stay healthy. And anyone who thinks that we’re not going to beat this, they don’t know this town, they don’t know this nation. . . . Stay healthy. Stay safe. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.”
Stay home, stay safe–
Cathy
