Newtown First Selectman Dan Rosenthal says he's not opposed to implementing a mask mandate for all indoor public places, regardless of vaccine status, but says that decision should be made based on data.  His statement comes after Danbury, its four neighboring towns, and Redding implemented such a requirement. 

Municipal leaders were given the authority by Governor Lamont to put their own regulations into effect, rather than issuing a statewide order. 

In Newtown, 34 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the last two weeks, making the rate per 100,000 residents 8.7.  The test positivity rate as of Thursday was 1.9 percent.  That's up from .9 percent test positivity the previous week. 

Rosenthal says the cases tend to be isolated, with a big source coming from travel and private gatherings.  He advices anyone who travels to get a COVID-19 test and try to stay isolated until the results come back. 

He notes that 85-percent of people who have been admitted to the hospital have been unvaccinated.  In breakthrough cases that have risen to hospitalization, generally are patients who have a comorbidity.