Press Releases
10/08/2020
DPH Issues COVID-19 Alert for New London After Significant Rise in New Cases
Residents of New London Urged to Stay Home if not Feeling Well or Exposed to Positive Cases, Limit Trips outside the Home and Avoid Indoor Gatherings with Those You Don’t Live With; Increased Rapid-Response COVID-19 Testing Available
The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) today is issuing a COVID-19 alert for New London due to a rising level of new cases in recent weeks. DPH is working with local officials to get the word out in the community to take extra precautions for the time being, including: limiting trips outside the home, wearing masks anytime you leave home, avoiding indoor gatherings with those you don’t live with, and not attending large outdoor gatherings. Between September 20 and October 3, New London recorded at least 115 new COVID-19 cases to raise the daily case rate to 30.5 per 100,000 population, one of the highest in the state. A similar alert was issued for Norwich last week.
“We are seeing increased levels of community transmission of COVID-19 in eastern Connecticut, and the amount of disease activity in New London is a real concern,” said Acting DPH Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford, MD MPH. “We are working closely with the Ledge Light Health District and municipal officials, as well as those 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 and isolate if you test positive, and stay at home for 14 days if you have been exposed. If you are over the age of 60 or have a chronic disease and live in New London, you should stay home as much as possible.”
Commissioner Gifford continued, “We need employers to help make sure everyone with symptoms or who was exposed is staying home and not coming to work. Anyone who needs resources such as food or financial assistance in order to stay home should call 211 because there are resources available. It is also very important to answer your phone if a contact tracer reaches out to you, so we can help you manage your exposure. We can limit spread of the virus if we all work together.”
The following below testing locations are available in New London and the surrounding communities. COVID-19 testing in New London is free and no appointment is necessary:
Monday through Friday until further notice:
- Community Health Center, 1 Shaws Cove, New London – 8:30am-4pm
Thursday October 8:
- Groton Senior Center, 102 Newtown Rd, Groton – 9am-3:30pm
- New London Elks Club, 81 Washington St, New London – 9-11am
Friday October 9:
- Stonington Human Services, 166 S Broad St, Pawcatuck – 9am-3:30pm
- New London Senior Center, corner of Brainard and Mercer, New London – 12-4pm
- All Souls Church, 19 Jay St, New London – 8:30am-4pm
Saturday October 10:
- Jennings School, 50 Mercer St, New London – 10am-2pm
Sunday October 11:
- New London High School, 490 Jefferson Ave, New London – 12pm – 4pm
Wednesday October 14:
- New London Hospitality Center, 730 State Pier Rd, New London – 9am-1pm
Saturday October 17:
- Oasis of Restoration Church, 35 Redding, New London – 10am-2pm
Monday October 19:
- George Washington Carver Apartments, 202 Colman Street, New London 9am-1pm
- Williams Park Apartments, 127 Hempstead Street, New London – 9am-1pm
Wednesday October 21:
- Alliance For Living, 154 Broad Street, New London – 9am-1pm
Friday October 23
- Gordon Court, 40 Gordon Court, New London – 9am-1pm
Saturday October 24:
- Riozzi Court, 27 Riozzi Court, New London – 9am-1pm
For more information or any questions, reach out to the Ledge Light Health District at 860-448-4882 or by email to Ledge Light Director of Health Stephen Mansfield smansfield@llhd.org