By John Schwing

WESTPORT — As COVID-19 infection rates continue to rise, local officials Friday were sticking to status quo health guidance for mask wearing and social distancing — but warn that things could quickly change.

First Selectman Jim Marpe earlier in the week imposed a requirement that all visitors and staff at town-owned buildings — including Town Hall and the Westport Library — wear masks, regardless of their vaccination status.

Friday, he said, there would no changes in local health rules  “at this time.”

Marpe, however, is empowered under an executive order issued Thursday by Gov. Ned Lamont to extend the requirements that masks be worn in all indoor public places in town, as are other municipal leaders across the state.

Issuing the order via emergency authority, Lamont said he was responding to requests by some local officials who want to return to the universal mask mandates implemented near the pandemic’s start. Lamont, however, said he currently does not feel that universal masking should be required statewide, noting many towns have achieved high vaccination rates against the virus.

Westport residents are among the most highly vaccinated in the state. According to data from the Westport-Weston Health District, as of July 28, 91.3 percent of local residents 65 years old and over have been fully vaccinated, as are 83.1 percent of those 45 to 64 years old, 83.9 percent of those 16 to 44 years old, and 73.2 percent of those 12 to 15 years old.

But officials are wary of the growing number of COVID-19 cases being  reported — driven by the highly infectious Delta variant — as the state’s daily positivity rate rose to 3.52 percent Friday.

Marpe on Friday conferred with other leaders from area municipalities in the Western Connecticut Council of Governments about coordinating regional efforts to respond to the Delta spread.

No firm decisions came from their discussion, the first selectman said. The discussion was “a check on what other communities are doing or thinking … as well as creating a number of questions for the governor’s office to further clarify his executive order.”

But, Marpe said as of Friday, there will be “no changes to Westport’s approach at this time.”

Mark Cooper, executive director of the Westport-Weston Health District, said Friday, “We’re nowhere near needing to make a mandatory mask mandate yet.”

“Westport, Weston and Easton have a fairly high vaccination rate … for the group of people who are eligible to be vaccinated,” he added.

“We are seeing an increase in cases,” he said, in other state communities, but in Westport, “I can’t say that we’re seeing an increase yet.”

Cooper said he will discuss the latest COVID developments when he meets with Marpe at their regular Tuesday meeting next week.

School officials are also monitoring new developments that may affect the start of the new academic year here Aug. 31, according to a note emailed to parents Friday by Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarise.

Scarise said that local schools will continue to comply with the mask mandate for all students imposed by the governor under an executive order that is in effect through at least Sept. 30.

But, he added, there will “likely be many changes in guidance provided to schools over the next few weeks. This is frustrating for parents and students. I can assure you that this is equally frustrating for faculty and staff.”

Scarise also wrote, “We expect to follow the mandates that are required of public schools, but to emphasize as much normalcy as permitted within areas of discretion.

“Our year ended with some positive moves toward normalcy [i.e., changes to our elementary recess], and we will continue to move in that direction, where permitted, while maintaining a balance between safety and the social/emotional wellness of our students.” 

With additional reporting by Jarret Liotta.