Emergency Order Prohibits Gatherings of More than 10 People in New Haven, Hamden, Bridgeport and Hartford

[Lee Cruz]

Hello, this is Mayor Justin Elicker. Today I joined Hartford, Hamden and Bridgeport by signing an emergency order that would prohibit gatherings of more than ten individuals. This order prohibits social gatherings such as community, civic, leisure, sporting events, parades, concerts, festivals, movie screenings, plays, or performances of more than ten individuals. I have also modified the Childcare Emergency Order to allow, in addition to exceptions for health care workers, exceptions for our first responders—police, fire and EMS. We have learned from other communities that are suffering greatly from the impacts of COVID-19 that we must act quickly to dramatically reduce gatherings and close interactions between people in order to slow the spread of the virus. The other mayors and I did not make this decision lightly and understand the significant impact it has on our businesses. But the long-term economic impact will be much greater if we do not act quickly. We have over 10,000 cases in the country and are seeing our first deaths from the virus in Connecticut. These orders are to be taken seriously, and we will be enforcing them across the City. I appreciate that so many of you are doing your part to ensure each other’s safety. Thank you for your cooperation in this challenging time.