Effective Sunday, the City of Danbury will require masks or cloth face coverings in public indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status.  The order may be periodically revised or amended as needed or required by State directive or health order, changing conditions, or community needs. 

Mayor Joe Cavo says due to the increase in the number of cases over the past two weeks, and the projection of the Delta variant spread, he wanted to get ahead of it. He's asking businesses and residents to take these precautions in hopes of mitigating the spread and making every effort to protect the community.  Cavo says everyone hoped to be nearing the end of this pandemic, but he says wearing a mask indoors or in large gatherings, along with getting vaccinated, and practicing social distancing remain the most effective mitigation strategies. 

Cavo previously said that a regional approach would be the most effective way to issue this mandate.  After reaching out to local officials from surrounding towns, he hopes others will issue similar guidance in the coming days. Governor Lamont gave municipalities last week the ability to decide if masks should be required for even vaccinated people in indoor public places. 

For now, Cavo is not planning to require City employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine, as the federal government has done.  Cavo notes that as the Delta variant increases positive cases and hospitalizations, the City has seen an uptick in the percent of Danbury residents who are starting the vaccine process on their own. 

Cavo added that people taking personal responsibility is the way to get through this new wave of the pandemic.