On August 22, the Connecticut Department of Public Health issued a COVID-19 alert for Danbury after a significant increase in cases in the last two weeks, with much of the outbreak related to recent domestic and international travel. Connecticut is requiring anyone traveling to the state from many other US states to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. 

In addition, the CDC recommends anyone returning from international travel from countries with widespread transmission of COVID-19 to self-quarantine for the same period of time. DPH is coordinating with municipal and local health officials in Danbury to get the word out among community centers and churches to take extra precautions, immediately. Those precautions include: staying home when possible and limiting outings, wearing masks anytime you leave home, limiting indoor gatherings to only those you live with, refraining from attending large church services for the time being, and not attending large outdoor gatherings. Between August 2–20, Danbury recorded at least 178 new COVID-19 cases, a sharp increase over the previous two-week period when only 40 new cases were recorded.

“This is a serious outbreak in Danbury and we really need an all hands on deck approach. We need everyone in Danbury to take extreme precaution,” said Acting DPH Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford, MD MPH. “We appreciate the partnership with municipal and health department leadership in Danbury, as well as health care providers that have testing sites available for members of the community. We are urging anyone who thinks they may have been exposed to get tested as soon as possible, stay home until your test results are known and stay at home for 10 days if you test positive.”

Commissioner Gifford continued, “We need you to answer your phone if a contact tracer tries to get in touch. If you are over the age of 60 or have a chronic disease and live in Danbury, you should stay home. We need employers to help make sure everyone with symptoms or who was exposed is staying home and not coming to work. Friends and neighbors could help by supporting those who need to stay home with food and other errands. We can limit spread of the virus if we all work together.”

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said at a press conference with state officials on August 25 that the city is contact tracing the 178 coronavirus cases that have popped up in recent days. But so far, he said, it appears that the virus was spreading largely among families, after one member caught the virus either through travel or through a sanctioned event such as a summer soccer team or a relatively small back-yard barbecue.

Danbury acting public health director Kara Prunty said that the city has an average of 22 new cases per 100,000 residents. But while state and local officials say the uptick is serious, they also say that it can be brought back under control if the community cooperates “I believe we can work together to stop the spread,” Prunty said.

Already, the city has delayed its in-person school year, moving instead to a remote learning model until at least October. The city has also closed its boat ramp at the popular Candlewood Lake and suspended athletic activities.

City and state officials are urging residents to wear masks, practice social distancing, get tested for COVID-19 and cooperate with the contact tracing efforts.

The following below testing locations are available in Danbury:

AFC URGENT CARE

76C Newtown Rd, Danbury, CT 06755

2 Main St, Danbury, CT 06810

100 Mill Plain Rd, Danbury, CT 06811

Hours: vary by location

Friday              8AM–8PM

Saturday          8AM–5PM

Sunday             8AM–5PM

Monday           8AM–8PM

Tuesday           8AM–8PM

Wednesday     8AM–8PM

Thursday         8AM–8PM

CVS

47 Lake Ave Ext, Danbury, CT 06811

DOCS URGENT CARE

1 Padanaram Rd, Danbury, CT 06811

6 Stony Hill Rd, Bethel, CT 06801

Hours:

Friday              9AM–6PM

Saturday          9AM–1PM

Sunday             9AM–1PM

Monday           9AM–6PM

Tuesday           9AM–6PM

Wednesday     9AM–6PM

Thursday         9AM–6PM

THE MINUTE CLINIC

7 Durant Ave, Bethel, CT 06801

Hours:

Friday              8:30AM–2PM, 3–7:30PM

Saturday          9AM–1PM, 1:30–5:30PM

Sunday             9AM–1PM, 1:30–4:30PM

Monday           8:30AM–2PM, 3–7:30PM

Tuesday           8:30AM–2PM, 3–7:30PM

Wednesday     8:30AM–2PM, 3–7:30PM

Thursday         8:30AM–2PM, 3–7:30PM

CONNECTICUT INSTITUTE FOR COMMUNITIES

120 Main St, Danbury, CT 06810

Monday: 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Wednesday: 8:30 am to 10:30 am

Friday: 8:30 am to 10:30 am

Tuesday and Thursday: On Site testing

COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER

8 Delay Street, Danbury, CT 06810

Hours:

Monday – Friday 9 am – 1 pm

Nuvance Medical Practices

By Appointment

For more information or any questions, reach out to the Danbury Health Department at 203-797-4625 or by email to healthdept@danbury-ct.gov.