Life changes from minute to minute as the Northwest Corner reacts to the virus

Chicken is the new luxury meat in the odd world of COVID-19 in March 2020. Grocery stores  in area towns are all sold out of fresh, uncooked chicken, although beef, pork and seafood remain abundant. 

The biggest grocery store rush was last Friday, March 13, according to store employees at everywhere from LaBonne’s in Salisbury to BJ’s Wholesale in Torrington, perhaps as out-of-town residents came up here to seek refuge. 

The area is experiencing an influx of people who aren’t normally here. Many parents have college-aged or older children moving in with them during the COVID-19 crisis.

Real estate agents are also reporting that there is a brisk business now in leasing properties. It’s not clear where the owners of those properties are living while they rent out their Northwest Corner homes, but agents have been busy showing and renting properties here, to people who have been here before and to people who are new to the area. 

Look for an article in the March 26 Lakeville Journal with helpful tips for newcomers to the area. Until then, be kind and patient, and remember that our fire and ambulance companies are staffed by volunteers. 

Also remember that you need to call the town hall in your town (don’t stop by; visits are not allowed right now) and get a sticker that allows you to use your transfer station (it’s required even if you have a hauler get your trash).

We will also try to keep you updated on Gov. Ned Lamont’s executive orders, which are being issued nearly daily and which impact our lives in many ways.

For example: The deadline for finalizing town budgets has been extended by one month. And town boards can now hold meetings that are not attended by the public (the meetings must, however, be made available to the public online or in some other way).

The governor has also decreed that pharmacies can now mix their own hand sanitizer (although one pharmacist at a large retailer here said they don’t yet have the recipe and they also are sold out of the essential alcohol — as well as thermometers and toilet paper, of course).

Another executive order gives schools some leeway in deciding graduation requirements for this year. Students at Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village will begin “distance learning” this week. A survey of households in the Region One School District showed that all the students do have internet access — but many do not have high-speed access and are still using dial-up to connect. 

In normal times, the students would be able to go to their local public library to get high-speed internet but all the libraries in the area are now closed. 

As of Monday, March 16, gyms and fitness centers were also ordered by the governor  to shut down, as were movie theaters. 

Another executive order decreed that restaurants must close, although they can continue to serve to-go and delivery food. 

Food banks are still open but most are changing their procedures. Call or check online for information.

For updated information on COVID-19, go to the state’s website at www.ct.gov, and look under “recent news.” 

The state also has a 211 telephone information line for information on COVID-19.