Volume 16, Number 52
www.northhavencitizen.com
Friday, December 24, 2021
THUMBS UP
COVID-19 PANDEMIC
187 new cases in town The number of COVID-19 testing locations and hours of available testing will expand in Connecticut as the state continues to see more positive cases, driven in part by the fast-spreading omicron variant and an increased demand for testing. More Than Likes, a North Haven-based nonprofit operated by teenagers with the goal of engaging young people in community service projects, hosted a successful toy drive on Friday, Dec. 17. "We are incredibly excited about this event. We collected more than 500 gifts," Alex Ranciato, CEO and founder of More Than Likes, said. "These gifts will be going directly to the Annie C. Courtney Foundation, which will then donate them to foster kids and kids who would ordinarily not have anything on Christmas." Ranciato wishes to thank all who donated to the toy drive and encourages people to visit morethanlikes.org "to stay updated and learn how you can help."
Santa delivers joy, presents in North Haven By Nicole Zappone Special to The Citizen
He may not have had reindeer escorting him, nor did he go down a chimney. He didn’t even have milk and cookies to snack on, but Santa Claus still made a special appearance in North Haven recently. However, with his reindeer back at the North Pole, St. Nick needed a ride. And that came courtesy of Northeast Company 4. The North Haven Fire Department’s annual Santa Run took place Saturday, Dec. 18 and Sunday, Dec. 19, and Santa – riding in a fire truck – got to see over 100 families. The purpose of the yearly run is to bring joy and deliver a little Christmas cheer to good boys and girls of See Santa, A2
The North Haven Fire Department’s annual Santa Run made more than 100 stops throughout town last weekend. Photos by Nicole Zappone
While there are currently about 400 state and private testing locations across the state, Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday that seven more state sites will be added to the mix, including a new saliva testing site on the New Haven Green. “We’re expanding the hours of many of our sites to make it easier for you, before work and after work. We’re adding on additional sites. I’ve had good conversations with the pharmacies. They are going to be expanding testing as well,” said Lamont, adding how the hospitals are also expanding their public testing capacity. Since Friday, Dec. 17 there have been more than 6,200 additional positive cases in Connecticut, according to figures released Monday. The number of hospitalizations grew by 101, to 837, the highest level since early February. The state's most recent COVID-19 report, which includes two weeks of data, showed 187 positive cases in North Haven, which kept the community in the coronavirus red zone. The trigger for top-of-thechart red status starts at 15 cases per 100,000 people per day. See COVID, A2