Mayoral briefing updates:
• 2,622 confirmed Covid cases; 109 deaths.
• City will revert to governor’s pandemic gathering guidelines.
• 2+-week testing result delays; “glitch” fixed.
• Career shelter closes; Albertus rooms open.• Elicker backs goal of not needing police; does not support abolishing or defunding.
Mayor Justin Elicker delivered those updates Monday afternoon during his daily Covid-19 virtual press briefing, which was held online via the Zoom videoconferencing platform and on YouTube Live.
The city currently has 2,622 confirmed positive coronvirus cases and 109 related fatalities.
Elicker said that he will rescind the emergency executive order he issued on March 19 that limited social and recreational gatherings in the city to no more than 10 people at a time. He said that recission will go into effect on June 14.
Once the local order is lifted, Elicker said, the city will be bound instead by the governor’s latest social gathering limitation order.
That statewide order limits non-religious outdoor gatherings to no more than 25 people at a time, non-religious indoor gatherings to no more than 10, religious outdoor gatherings to no more than 150, and religious indoor gatherings to no more than 100 people or 25 percent of occupancy, whichever is lower.
Elicker said that the recission of the local order is the right move “from a safety perspective” given the declining rate of local infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. He said the recision also simplifies the social gathering orders that New Haveners have to follow by relying on the one put forth by the governor.
The mayor, city Community Services Administrator Mehul Dalal (pictured), and city emergency operations chief Rick Fontana also reported that the Career High School isolation shelter is now officially closed. The city converted that site earlier in the pandemic into a temporary shelter for homeless individuals who test positive for Covid but do not require hospitalization.
Dalal said the site served a total of 15 individuals during its nearly two months in operation. Fontana said the last patient was discharged on May 27. The city started cleaning the space with an Aeroclave electrostatic decontamination system the very next day.
“We were able to get in there and decontaminate not only the air in the facility, but anything that was touched,” he said.
Dr. David Rosenthal, who oversaw the day-to-day operations at the isolation shelter, said that over 60 medical reserve volunteers worked at the site since it first opened in mid-April.
Newly available housing for people who need to self-isolate is now open.
Elicker said that Albertus Magnus College has voluntarily opened up 12 residential suites in buildings it owns at 490 Prospect St. and 411 Mansfield St.
Dalal said that these 12 suites can accommodate roughly one to four people each.
Dalal said that the suites will be open for a broad range of individuals who have tested positive for Covid-19 or have been exposed to Covid-19 and cannot safely self-isolate at home.
That includes homeless individuals, he said, but also people who live with an elderly or infirm family member or roommate, or who live in otherwise crowded conditions.
Dalal said the city will find and relocate eligible people through the city Health Department’s contact tracing program. Each suite will have its own bathroom and kitchen, he said.
“CDC guidelines indicate that the best method of isolating at home is to have a separate bathroom and a separate bedroom,” he said. These suites will provide just that.
“Glitch” Found, Corrected
Other updates:
City Health Director Maritza Bond said that the city and the Greenwich-based Murphy Medical Clinic recently discovered a technological “glitch” that caused significant delays between when someone got tested at one of Murphy’s local walk-up Covid-19 testing sites and when that person received results.
Murphy runs walk-up testing sites at Day Street Park in Dwight, as well as once-a-week popups in Newhallville and the Hill.
The city and Murphy had promised turnaround times of three to four days for Covid-19 test results.
Instead, Bond confirmed, some people were waiting upwards of two or more weeks.
Bond said that the city and the clinic discovered the error after the Health Department received a series of complaints from patients who were waiting and waiting for their results to arrive.
Bond said that the “glitch” was the result of a communication breakdown between Murphy’s clinic’s data collection and transmission system and the lab that the clinic was using to process test results.
Bond said that problem has now been resolved, and patients should get their results in a few days rather than a few weeks.
She acknowledged the glitch after being asked about a New Haven Independent reader’s June 5 comment, which read: “Most people I know who got tested at the walk-in sites administered by Dr. Murphy’s office didn’t hear back about results until 2+ weeks later. What good is testing without results? 2 weeks in most people would have symptoms by then anyway.”
Elicker apologized for the error and urged people who have questions or concerns about testing to call the Health Department’s Covid-19 hotline at 203 – 946-4949.
Future Of Police
Elicker was asked about Friday’s 5,000-person police abolition march downtown as well as about the Minneapolis City Council’s recent commitment to “dismantle” their local police department in the wake of a nationwide uprising against police brutality. “I think the vision of a world where we don’t need police is a good one. It’s something we should work towards,” he said.
“In so many ways, the traditional view of policing is addressing the symptoms and not the roots of the problem. The roots are around economic inequality, mental health, substance abuse, systemic racism, and so many other issues.”
He said that supporting social services rather than policing is a “good vision.”
He added that he does not think abolishing or completely defunding the police is a good idea.
And he did not commit to any immediate proposed budget cuts to the city’s recently Board of Alders-approved $43 million police budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.
“I think we need to have a lively conversation” about how best to address the needs and demands expressed en masse by so many people in New Haven and throughout the country in recent weeks, he said.
See below for an email Elicker sent out later Monday afternoon in which he details what steps he plans to take to address anti-police brutality protesters’ concerns.
Justin Elicker: My Pledge
Dear New Haven Residents,
It’s been a very challenging two weeks where so many of us are reflecting deeply on police brutality and systemic racism and our role in undoing so many wrongs. Thousands of people have protested in New Haven demanding action in the nation, state, and in our City. I want to share with you the actions our team is committing to take.
First is a review of our use of force policy. Today I signed President Obama’s Commit to Action pledge to review our use of force policy. There are some steps we can take quickly to improve our use of force policy. The Chief and I are committed to implementing “Eight Can’t Wait” restrictions on the use of force. Many are already in place in the Police Department’s General Orders; however, Chief Reyes and I agree the language needs to be strengthened. We will be working with the Police Commission to do so and welcome your input.
Second, ensure accountability: That includes finalizing the creation of the Civilian Review Board. The Civilian Review Board has 15 seats, 8 of which have already been appointed. Of the remaining seven seats, one is for an Alder, four are at large and appointed by the board, and two more are from policing districts appointed by the board of alders in consultation with the mayor. The alder’s next meeting is in early July, where it is likely they will initiate the formal process. I will share some of my suggestions of appointees with the Board of Alder leadership, and I will do whatever is needed to support the Alders finalizing the appointment process. Accountability also means sharing information with the public. The Police Department will begin posting use of force data online to be transparent and so we as a community can be more informed as we look at how to reduce incidents where force is used.
Third, our team will be reviewing the Yale and Hamden Memorandums of Understanding to ensure that any police activity in our city reflects our values. This has always been something I intend to address, and it will be a priority.
Fourth, we intend to review the role of School Resource Officers in our public schools to ensure a safe and supportive environment for students. I look forward to partnering with School Superintendent Dr. Tracey, my colleagues on the Board of Education, and the Chief of Police to explore potential changes here.
Finally, it is critical that we put the spotlight on other levels of government when addressing police brutality and systemic racism. New Haven has work to do. But we also must work as one to push state and other municipalities not only to address issues around policing but more importantly to address the extreme income inequality that perpetuates racism.
I do want to address the demands raised by a number of community members regarding abolishing the police. We must strive for a time when we won’t need police, and to do so we must invest in a social safety and support net that addresses the roots of the problem, not the symptoms. I believe in this vision. In this year’s budget, I cut 10% of the positions in the Police Department in order to maintain funding for youth, homeless, and other social services. As Mayor, I have to be practical and strike the right balance between long-term vision and the over 100,000 calls we receive each year for police. I am open to this conversation and ways that we can continue to work towards this goal. I can’t support outright defunding of the police. Still, I do believe we should talk as a community about how we can redefine the role of policing and how we can truly keep our community safe. I look forward to many more conversations with you. Thanks, everyone.
Always serving you,
Mayor Justin Elicker
(203) 500‑2969
A "glitch" like this can mean life and death. Who are the incompetents doing this job?