Grieb’s Pharmacy Says Store Now Closed to Customers — Instead: Outside Pickups and Deliveries

Suddenly Need Health Insurance After COVID-19 Dislocations? New ‘Exceptional Enrollment Period’ Announced

If You Need Social Services During the COVID-19 Epidemic: What’s the Same, What’s Changed

CANCELED: Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing at Darien Town Hall Won’t Be Happening

Not Just for Restaurants: Barrett Bookstore Now Offers Curbside Pickup, Free Delivery Service

You Can Get Take-Out, Curbside Pickup or Delivery from These Darien Restaurants

First Selectman on What You Can Do to Cope With, Reduce Spread of COVID-19 in Darien

Schools’ Remote ‘eLearning’ Program Starts: Superintendent’s Suggestions on How to Start

Board of Education Approves School District Applying to State for Minimum Education Days This School Year

First Selectman: Darien Playgrounds, Train Station Buildings, Winter Rec Programs Close

Tri-State Govs Announce Restaurants, Bars, Cinemas, Gyms to Close Starting Monday Night

Schools ‘Likely’ Closed Longer Than Two Weeks; Board of Ed To Hold Special Meeting, 6:30 PM Monday

Country Club of Darien Guest Who Used Male Lockers Tests Positive for COVID-19, Club Closes for at Least a Week

First Selectman: Gatherings of ANY Size Are Discouraged and Other Advice on Combatting COVID-19

First Darien Coronavirus Case Discovered; Appointments Now Needed for Town Hall Access

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With the small size of Grieb’s Pharmacy’s store, the business has particular challenges in keeping customers safe while many people need to stay at a distance from strangers. So the store announced it’s closing to the public and providing prescriptions either at the door or by delivery, effective today, Wednesday, March 18. Here’s the announcement:

The Coronavirus has presented us with a unique set of challenges to work with within the confines of our small pharmacy. After much thought and concern for the health of the community, as well as our pharmacy team, effective Wednesday, March 18, we will be closing our doors to all walk-in traffic. There will be no interruption in our services as all prescriptions and over the counter items will now be delivered to mailboxes or front steps if required.

In this exceptional time of a sudden COVID-19 outbreak, an “exceptional enrollment period” for health insurance has been instituted by the state government’s Access Health CT. Beginning Thursday, March 19, and continuing to April 2, state residents without health insurance can apply online here for one of the plans offered by Access Health CT. Coverage can start as early as April 1. If you lose your job due to the economic dislocations of the COVID-19 outbreak, you can check out what Access Health CT offers and if you’re eligible. Even if you’ve got health insurance for a while and want to keep it, you can find out how to be prepared for your future options.

Anyone who gets or is thinking about getting social services from the state, the town or from local and area organizations such as Person-to-Person may have heard of some or all of the many changes made in the past several days in the way that’s done. Here’s a roundup of the changes, in case you missed any, of what’s different and in some cases, what’s the same because of or in spite of the COVID-19 epidemic and social distancing policies:

SEE ALSO: Suddenly Need Health Insurance After COVID-19 Dislocations? New ‘Exceptional Enrollment Period’ Announced (March 18)

Applying for Unemployment Benefits? It’s Online for Now
UPDATE, 8:24 p.m., Wednesday March 18: From Gov. Ned Lamont’s 6:32 p.m.news release, based on his late afternoon public news briefing:

“The Connecticut Department of Labor has closed its main office in Wethersfield and all of the American Jobs Centers throughout the state to in-person visits from the general public effective immediately. The agency is encouraging people to utilize their online services, which can be found by visiting its website at www.ctdol.state.ct.us.

Drive-thru testing for COVID-19 won’t be happening at the Darien Town Hall lower parking lot after all, the town announced Wednesday afternoon, not long after first announcing it would begin. UPDATE: 8:44 p.m., Wednesday:

In New Canaan, the program is still expected to start as previously announced, according to a 7 p.m. announcement from Mike Handler, emergency medical director for that town. UPDATE: 4:52 p.m., Wednesday:

The second announcement didn’t give a reason why the program, which was due to start on Thursday, is being cancelled. Here’s the full cancellation announcement:

The Town of Darien will not be providing COVID-19 testing as previously announced. We appreciate the important work being done by Murphy Medical Associates to provide testing to our residents at their other locations.

Barrett Bookstore has announced that it’s started a curbside pickup service for books that you can order from the store website. Or don’t go to the curbside: The store now also has free delivery to addresses in Darien and Rowayton. The store joins lots of Darien restaurants now offering delivery, take-out and curbside service (and remember, it’s becoming a lot easier to park downtown). While authorities are urging you to keep your social distance, COVID-19 is hitting the world economy like an asteroid smacking the planet, you can still support some Darien stores without going inside. Editor’s note: A slew of bookstores around the country are doing what Barrett Bookstore is doing with curbside pickup and deliveries.

Seoul restaurant empty Photo by Jouwen Wang, unsplash.com

Darien town government has published a list of town restaurants open for take-out services, curbside pickup, home delivery or some combination of those services while their seating is closed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Editor’s note: A “sidebar” with advice from a National Public Radio article has been added to the bottom of this page. Also, Stop and Shop supermarkets, including the one in Goodwives Shopping Center at 25 Old Kings Hwy. North, will be open early mornings for only seniors (60 years old and older) from 6 to 7:30 a.m. every day. The rest of the public can come in after that.

First Selectman Jayme Stevenson, in a “Code Red” phone call to town residents Monday night, gave an update on what the town government is now doing to help halt the spread of COVID-19 in Darien. She added that what you do in that effort is extremely important, and important now. For instance, Stevenson said: “In spite of this formal guidance, play dates, dinner parties and all social gatherings should be put on temporary hold — you may not know if you or others are contagious. The risks are just not worth taking. “All these efforts, while extraordinary to be sure, are intended to slow the spread of the virus, reduce the chances of overwhelming our healthcare system and to save lives.”

Darien Public Schools on Tuesday started the remote, online eLearning program for students while schools are closed due to the COVID-19 epidemic, and the superintendent of schools has announced to parents and students how they can get prepared this day for when the program becomes mandatory on Wednesday. The full text of the announcement is published below, and below that the video of Monday night’s Board of Education meeting, which included some discussion of the eLearning program. Superintendent’s Announcement: Full Text
A link to this statement was emailed to district parents at 10:23 p.m., Monday:

March 16, 2020

Dear Families,

At the Emergency Board of Education Meeting this evening, the Board approved the administration’s request to submit a Waiver Application to the Connecticut State Department of Education. If you were watching this evening, perhaps you noticed that we received word during the meeting that the Connecticut State Department of Education is now planning to reduce the reporting requirements and is considering eliminating individual district applications for 180-day waivers. Things seem to change daily in this public health crisis.

The Darien school district eLearning program is expected to have some real-time, online teaching starting next week, and state officials seem to be saying that waivers won’t be required if districts don’t have 180 days of teaching in school buildings. That was some of what the Board of Education was told at a special meeting Monday night that was broadcast on Youtube but with the meeting room not open to the public. The meeting was originally called primarily to get the board’s approval for schools Superintendent Alan Addley to apply for the waiver. But even as the meeting was taking place, messages were coming in from the state Department of Education that seemed to indicate that the waiver was unnecessary. On Friday, Addley had announced that he would not apply for the waiver after getting advice from the education department that concerns about not being able to educate students in special education adequately would mean that the state wouldn’t allow online education to be counted as part of the legal mandate for 180 days of schooling.

Darien Train Station Darien Railroad Station

First Selectman Jayme Stevenson early Monday afternoon issued a town “State of Emergency” order that closes all town playgrounds, the buildings at both town train stations, winter Park & Recreation Department programs and “all nonessential municipal meetings.” After issuing a news release at 1:27 p.m., an additional release with more information was sent out at 2:06 p.m. Here is the longer, later version:
Full Text
Sub headings and boldface have been added by Darienite.com:

First Selectman Declares State of Emergency for the Town of Darien Business and Public Facilities/Programs Closure Notice

At 2 p.m. today [Monday, March 16], in response to and in coordination with federal, state and local agencies, First Selectman Jayme Stevenson has issued a Town of Darien State of Emergency. This action has been taken to augment the Town’s response efforts to slow the spread of the COVID-19 and to underscore to the Darien community the seriousness of the virus crisis. State Level Actions
Beginning at 8 p.m. on Monday, March 16, Governor Lamont, in a coordinated action with the governors of New York and New Jersey, has ordered the temporary closure of all bars, restaurants, gyms, fitness centers and similar public exercise studios, and movie theaters. Restaurants and bars that serve food will be temporarily required to move to takeout and delivery service only.

Coronavirus illustration CDC wide for facebook

As of 8 p.m., Monday night in Connecticut, New York state and New Jersey, restaurants and bars are closed except for take-out and delivery food services, and social and recreational gatherings can have no more than 50 people at one event, the governors of all three states announced Monday morning. Also, “the three governors said they will temporarily close movie theaters, gyms and fitness centers, and similar public workout facilities and studios,” according to an announcement from Gov. Ned Lamont’s office. Many people continued going to restaurants and bars in the area this past weekend, according to numerous news accounts. In Downtown Stamford between 4 and 5 p.m., Sunday, patrons could be seen dining in and coming in and out of restaurants and bars. Bars that don’t serve food will be required to close “temporarily,” but the announcement didn’t give any indication how long that part of the order, or any other parts of it, would take effect.

Schools will “likely” be closed for longer than two weeks as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, based on weekend communications with state officials, schools Superintendent Alan Addley said in an announcement emailed Sunday evening, along with a lot of other information about school services during the closure. Also, the Board of Education will hold an “emergency meeting” at 6:30 p.m. Monday (tonight) to get an update on “educational plans moving forward.” The meeting won’t be open to the public, but it will be broadcast live on Youtube, the board announced. The sense in which the board meeting is an “emergency” was unclear. The announcement did not describe any immediate threat to anybody or any additional reason (other than what’s already been made public) for an imminent health threat from either COVID-19 or anything else.

The Country Club of Darien told members in an email that it was closing the club at 7 p.m., Sunday (yesterday, March 15) and didn’t expect to reopen for at least a week. The reason: A guest who tested positive for COVID-19 participated in the recent Paddle Nationals at the club on Saturday and used the Men’s Locker Room at some point between 4 and 6 p.m. that day. The email, from club President Doug Rischmann, went out just 36 seconds before 7 p.m., Sunday (at “6:59:24 PM”). Darienite.com received a copy of the emailed announcement from someone who received a copy after it had been forwarded more than once. “This individual was also in the Men’s Locker Room at some point between 4 and 6 p.m. that day,” Rischmann wrote.

Public Message from First Selectman, Jayme Stevenson [released just after 6 p.m., Saturday]:

The best way to protect yourself and your family from contracting the coronavirus (COVID19) is to avoid being exposed to the virus. We all play a critical role in protecting our community by slowing the spread of the virus by avoiding social contacts. The Town of Darien, Darien Health Department and Darien Public Schools are reminding residents today that social gatherings of any size are strongly discouraged until community transmission of COVID-19 has run its course. Community gatherings of 250 persons or more have been ordered unlawful by Governor Lamont’s Emergency Declaration. COVID-19 is a highly contagious new virus which can and is being transmitted here in Darien, even among individuals who have no symptoms. Adults and children alike, who continue to congregate, risk becoming infected or infecting others unknowingly.

With the first “test-positive” case of COVID-19 in Darien found on Friday, First Selectman Jayme Stevenson said Town Hall will be open only to those who make an appointment first. “Our number one priority is to keep our residents safe and businesses and non-profit organizations in operation unless and until it becomes necessary to impose limitations due to public health risks,” Stevenson said in the announcement. Full Text
Here’s the full text of Stevenson’s announcement:

Today marks an important day in the Town of Darien’s ongoing efforts to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Local health officials received information that Darien has our first official test-positive case. Darien’s Emergency Preparedness team and Town Staff have been anticipating this moment and we are ready to address the wide variety of community impacts.

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