COVID-19 James Bairaktaris COVID-19 James Bairaktaris

COVID-19 Cases: Westport Up 4, Easton Up 8 over Weekend; State Positivity Rate 3.18%

The Westport-Weston Health District reports that Westport’s COVID-19 cases were up 4 today, with no deaths reported. Easton reported 8 cases, also with no deaths reported. Weston reported no deaths, no cases. The State’s daily test positivity rate was 3.18%. All data includes cases from Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

  • Westport total positive or probable cases: 1,837 cases.

  • Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 31 deaths.

  • State Daily Test Positivity: 3.18% [up from 2.72% on Friday, 07/30]

Read More
New Neighbors, Community James Bairaktaris New Neighbors, Community James Bairaktaris

New Neighbors: STEAM Coffee, Uncle Leo’s Donuts to former Desi’s Corner on Railroad Place 

Bob Glaser, left, and “Uncle Leo” Spinelli, right, in front of the new STEAM Coffee and Uncle Leo’s Donut shop at the corner of Riverside Avenue and Railroad Place. Photo by WestportLocal.com

With coffee specialties from STEAM and “old school” donuts from Uncle Leo's, the former Desi’s Corner storefront will open its doors on Wednesday after nearly three years of work at the historic Saugatuck corner shop. 

Photos and words by Jaime Bairaktaris.

The new addition to the Saugatuck community will bring back the corner shop experience to the commuters and Railroad Place diners alike with a much needed renovation. After Desi’s Corner closed in 2019, Glaser and Spinelli joined forces and began to overhaul the space - which had served patrons for generations as a corner store, and prior to the store, the historic location of the Post Office. With the windows covered in paper for years - with only a small sign on the window as a hint in the past few weeks, Glaser and Spinelli took down the paper today and are excited to open this week.

And while a new location - Glaser is no stranger to coffee, and Uncle Leo is no stranger to donuts.

Glaser’s STEAM coffee operated out of the Greens Farms station until the COVID-19 lockdowns drove away the commuters, and forced its closure. Glaser, a longtime Westporter, has been excited about beginning the next chapter and joining the Saugatuck revival.

“Uncle Leo’s Not Just Donut” Shops have brought the Wilton, Weston, and Redding communities together through his old fashioned donuts and breakfasts, with two locations in Georgetown and Wilton. He prides himself on true, “old school” donuts and the community that surrounds his two businesses, describing the families who have frequented the two spaces like family, saying “the kids just know me as Uncle Leo.“ During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Spinelli donated and delivered thousands of donuts and bagels to local healthcare centers for frontline workers - and continued to do so even after lockdowns were lifted.

With the planned redevelopment of the Ketchum Street neighborhood, the corner store will also include digital post office boxes - bringing mail back into the corner for the first time in over a century, and keeping it in Saugatuck for the neighborhood residents. “They’ll rent a box just like normal, and when a piece of mail is placed into their box, they’ll be alerted to it by their phone.” Glaser described as he showed a large portrait of the historic Railroad Place.

STEAM Coffee and Uncle Leo’s donuts will be opening its doors this Wednesday morning at 6:00 AM. With a new staff and newly renovated space, they’re excited to welcome the community into the new Saugatuck corner store.

Read More
James Bairaktaris James Bairaktaris

CDC Guidelines Continue to Evolve, Recommends Vaccinated Individuals to Mask Up while Indoors

With Fairfield County now marked as an area of “Substantial or High Transmission” for COVID-19, the CDC has began to slowly introduce more suggestions as the Delta Variant continues to spread. The only county not marked at this high level is Litchfield County, in the northwest corner of Connecticut.

Guidelines for Vaccinated People:

Fully vaccinated people can:

  • Participate in many of the activities that they did before the pandemic; for some of these activities, they may choose to wear a mask.

  • Resume domestic travel and refrain from testing before or after travel and from self-quarantine after travel.

  • Refrain from testing before leaving the United States for international travel (unless required by the destination) and refrain from self-quarantine after arriving back in the United States.

  • Refrain from routine screening testing if feasible.

“Infections happen in only a small proportion of people who are fully vaccinated, even with the Delta variant. However, preliminary evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people who do become infected with the Delta variant can spread the virus to others. To reduce their risk of becoming infected with the Delta variant and potentially spreading it to others: CDC recommends that fully vaccinated people:”

  • Wear a mask in public indoor settings if they are in an area of substantial or high transmission.

    • Fully vaccinated people might choose to mask regardless of the level of transmission, particularly if they or someone in their household is immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe disease, or if someone in their household is unvaccinated. People who are at increased risk for severe disease include older adults and those who have certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, overweight or obesity, and heart conditions.

  • Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

  • Get tested 3-5 days following a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days after exposure or until a negative test result.

  • Isolate if they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the prior 10 days or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

  • Follow any applicable federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations.

“People who are immunocompromised should be counseled about the potential for reduced immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines and to follow current prevention measures (including wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others they don’t live with, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces) regardless of their vaccination status to protect themselves against COVID-19 until advised otherwise by their healthcare provider.”

Read More