Bridgeport has seen a recent surge in coronavirus cases, state numbers show, possibly connected to unsanctioned gatherings at restaurants and bars, adding to growing worry about large groups of young people spreading the coronavirus.
According to numbers released Thursday, Bridgeport recorded 57 new COVID-19 cases between July 26 and Aug. 1, more than twice as many as any other municipality. The city then added another 30 cases from Friday to Monday, reflecting continued transmission of the disease.
Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday that Bridgeport’s health department had recently closed down several restaurants that were operating as bars, hosting large groups in violation of social distancing guidelines.
“There were dozens, hundreds of people there,” Lamont said. “That’s just how you get a flare-up.”
Despite concern over small hot spots in a handful of places in Connecticut, overall COVID-19 numbers continue to hold steady, with just 64 people now hospitalized and the state’s positivity rate remaining low.
Josh Geballe, the state’s chief operating officer, said the spike in Bridgeport hadn’t been traced back to a specific cluster of cases but that the unsanctioned gatherings may have played a role.
“Large events, going late into the night, younger people partying in violation of a number of the rules and executive orders in place,” Geballe said. “We applaud the team there, the local health department, for shutting down those establishments and making it clear that behavior is unacceptable.”
Officials have blamed large gatherings among young people for small outbreaks across the state, including in Greenwich and in northeastern Connecticut.
Bridgeport’s total case-count last week translated to 39 new cases for every 100,000 residents, the highest in the state among Connecticut’s cities and nearly twice as high as its own rate in previous weeks. Bridgeport has been one of Connecticut’s most notable hot spots throughout the pandemic, with more total cases than any other municipality.
Despite its recent increase in cases, Bridgeport remains below the threshold at which state officials recommend school districts shift to hybrid or remote-learning models this fall, and the city currently plans to hold in-person classes. Superintendent Michael J. Testani declined Monday to comment on Bridgeport’s rising case numbers.
“It may seem like a daunting task at this time, but I am confident that BPS will be prepared to welcome our students, families and staff back to a safe and positive learning environment,” Testani wrote in a message to the district as part of Bridgeport’s recently published reopening plan.
State Sen. Dennis Bradley, D-Bridgeport, said he’s “extremely alarmed” by the recent increase in the city’s caseloads and worries what will happen when students return to school next month.
“I don’t want to see our urban centers, Bridgeport specifically, to be a testing ground of what can happen if our schools reopen,” Bradley said. “The largest public school district by its very nature will have a lot of kids and parents on top of each other, and that’s what we’re trying to avoid.”
Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim and Health Director Lisa Morrissey could not be reached for comment Monday.
Positivity rate remains low, transmission decreases
Lamont on Monday announced an additional 247 coronavirus cases over the weekend out of 38,309 tests, for a positivity rate of about 0.6%. The state now has 64 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, down one from the total Friday and down nearly 97% from the state’s peak in mid-to-late April.
Officials recorded three coronavirus-linked deaths over the weekend, bringing its death toll from the disease to 4,444, fourth most per-capita of any U.S. state (trailing only New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts).
After some concern recently about an increase in the state’s rate of COVID-19 transmission, that metric has improved in recent days, according to the website Rt.live, leaving Connecticut with has the eighth lowest rate of any state.
Connecticut’s COVID-19 testing has mostly held steady over the past month, with between 70,000 and 85,000 results reported each week. The state ranks eighth nationally in tests performed per capita over the course of the pandemic.
On Monday, Johns Hopkins University reported that more than 163,000 Americans have died from COVID-19-related illness
Alex Putterman can be reached at aputterman@courant.com.
