As of Nov. 11, Stamford, Norwalk,  Brideport and Stratford, Connecticut are considered red zone towns, with Fairfield being moved from red to orange after the weeks of Oct 11-24. Further asymptomatic testing is being encouraged in towns in red and orange zones as cases continue to climb throughout Connecticut.

This classification prompts worry from Westport residents, who believe extra caution is needed when partaking in extracurricular activities. Melissa Brunetti, a mother to two children in the Westport Public School system, voiced her concerns. 

“People are moving through the town and [are doing] different activities; a lot of the sports include kids from multiple towns,” Brunetti said. “I do think that we have to worry about the surrounding towns.” 

Brunetti also feels that it is the parents’ responsibility to keep their children from having large gatherings without social distancing and mask-wearing. These protocols are especially crucial because of the impact she believed this could have on teachers.

“It’s unfair to put [teachers] at risk; […] they have to go home to their loved ones and […] they shouldn’t be put in that position,” Brunetti said. 

Aidan Sprouls ’23 believes that since not all students are being cautious with their actions in terms of the virus, and with the ever-growing number of red zone towns in Connecticut, this could put the school’s plans of staying open in jeopardy.

“I feel like this was always going to be an issue especially with flu season coming around,” Sprouls said. “Once the town becomes a red zone, it will be a much more dangerous scene for the school.” 

Sprouls also believes that heightened restrictions will help keep students and citizens of Westport safe while going into a potential second wave of Coronavirus. 

“I feel like making stricter rules will help the town not become a red zone for Covid […],” Sprouls said. “I don’t think the school will need to be shut down once [Westport] becomes a red zone, but once students start getting Covid, it would probably be smart to shut down […] and go fully remote.”

The state has reverted back to its Phase 2 opening plan, with 68 towns and cities in Connecticut in the red zone alert as of Nov. 6, according to The Connecticut Department of Public Health. 

Westport was recently moved to an orange zone alert on Nov. 5, and cases are continuing to climb through the state overall. 

“As a community,” Brunetti said, “[we have to] really kind of put more parameters around our kids, and their activities they are doing outside of school.”