All across the country, the current state of emergency is drastically affecting not only the U.S. healthcare system but also the economic infrastructure as a whole. The unemployment rate increased from 3.5% in March to 4.4% in April and then escalated up to 14.7% in May across the country – the highest it has been since the Depression era (https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000). This is an inevitable consequence of the nationwide shutdown that has closed the doors of a number of corporations and, in particular, a number of small businesses. This means that, aside from the general stress that comes with the current situation, a number of working-class families are now struggling to pay for resources such as food and sanitary products to keep themselves safe and healthy. From my experience, I can see the effects of this on the small businesses of Watertown, particularly family owned restaurants, salons, and shops along main street. However, as of Wednesday, May 20th, most businesses (one excluded category being salons and hairdressers) were allowed to open back up across Connecticut with some restrictions. For example, restaurants that choose to open up for dine-in options are only allowed to use outdoor seating with sufficient spacing between groups of guests.
In terms of how Watertown has been able to stay active and healthy in light of the pandemic, there have been a few obstacles that are interfering with the population’s ability to do so. For example, as previously mentioned, The Taft School is a central part of the community in terms of providing numerous facilities that are open to the public such as fields, a track, tennis courts, etc. However, I am aware that the school has decided to close its gates in compliance with the statewide restrictions in order to keep both the residents of the school as well as the general community safe and socially distant. I have been able to see this effect on Watertown both by being an alumna as well as my brother currently being a faculty member and, therefore, living on campus. Whenever I have gone to use the facilities over the past few weeks, I need to explain my situation to the campus safety members patrolling the entrances and parking lots in order to gain access – which is something I nevertypically have to do. Moreover, when I am on campus, I would typically see members of the outside community all over, enjoying the beautiful landscape and resources, but I barely see anyone doing so as a result of the campus being closed to the public.
These aspects leads me to the conclusion that a number of resources – such as local shops that serve healthy food options, public areas for exercise, as well as gyms – being unavailable during this time has led to an increased difficulty in the ability of community members to continue living a healthy lifestyle.
Moving on to how the actual healthcare system of Watertown has been handling COVID-19, it appears as though all of the healthcare providers in the area are continuing to function but, of course, with alterations concerning the care for those diagnosed with the virus. There are two major locations in the vicinity that are currently offering coronavirus tests, DOCS Urgent Care Center of Waterbury as well as Waterbury Hospital. Both centers are offering testing regardless of insurance status, but Waterbury Hospital is requiring that all patients have a physician referral while DOCS is not requiring a physician referral to be tested.
More information concerning Watertown’s response to the pandemic can be found at http://www.watertownct.org/content/36151/36220/default.aspx.
Local Good News Stories
- Honoring high school sports seniors that are missing their final season.
- A variety of businesses offering online class options – cooking, fitness, yoga, etc.
- Local restaurants offering “a meal for a meal” option in which for every meal that is ordered from their establishment, one is then donated to a healthcare worker.