Every Tuesday morning, we have the Mayor of Danbury, Mark Boughton, on the show to fill us in on the state of the city during the coronavirus crisis.

This week, as the city gets ready to slowly re-open, Mark talks about the plan and also gets into what happens if cases spike after the opening. He also answers a question regarding whether or not companies and businesses should have some type of COVID-19 liability insurance.

So, what's happening with the virus this week in Danbury?

"We continue to see about 10 to 15 cases a day. It's an ongoing issue - we're working on it together with Danbury Hospital and our community partners, and we are putting together plans now to help business open up again."

So what's the plan for the city as it gets set to re-open?

"It's going to be vastly different. The way business used to operate, and the way they will operate now and into the future will be very different. We ask for people's cooperation, for them to continue practicing social distancing, wash their hands, wear a face mask, and do all the things that the re-opening guidelines say you should do. It's going to be a new way of doing business. We do urge all our residents who don't feel comfortable, or may be at a higher risk, not to go out yet, keep utilizing curbside and non contact options".

What happens after you re-open then you see a spike in cases, what can you do as Mayor?

"If we saw a spike in cases, then we would back off and go back to lock down for another few weeks, and try and get ahead of the virus. That's the problem -- until there's a vaccine or some effective treatment, you're going to have these micro hot spots that are going to flare up in places like Danbury, more recently, in Fairfield County. We're just going to have to be ready and flexible to understand that we may have to close down from time to time. You could see kids going to school for a few weeks with no problems, then all of a sudden we may have to shut things down for a few days."

Do you think business should have some type of liability insurance before they re-open?

"This is what I'm talking about. I would hope the federal government would put in some type of liability insurance. If businesses have to deal with it on their own and increase their insurance policy, it would drive them out of business. Who would want to take that risk when opening your restaurant or your office and knowing that potentially you could be sued for getting somebody sick?"

 

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