Deputy Emergency Management Director Maureen Will has been at the Town of Newtown Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on Friday afternoons since May 8. There, she has been dispensing infrared thermometers and face masks to representatives from Newtown businesses who register for the protective equipment through the state of Connecticut.

The iniative began a week earlier, when small companies were invited to request the protective gear.

The Connecticut Business & Industry Association partnered earlier this year with its affiliate ConnSTEP (Connecticut State Technology Extension Program) to help distribute the donated personal protective equipment (PPE) to eligible small businesses in the state. The items are being provided without charge.

The thermometers, which have helped with workplace screenings and health checks, are available to Connecticut employers with 100 or fewer employees.

A limited supply of surgical masks is also available for employers with 50 or fewer employees “considered essential businesses as designated by the state,” CBIA’s website states. Eligible businesses can request up to two masks per employee, also according to CBIA's website.

Requests for thermometers and masks are done separately, but business representatives can pick up both at the EOC after receiving confirmation for their request(s). Once they register, businesses are given a time during which they should pick up their supplies. The Town building is located in the southern area of the Fairfield Hills campus, off Mile Hill Road South.

Will said last month that her team receives a list of what Newtown needs, and then supplies are picked up from a regional location. She has been helped by members of Newtown’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), including her daughter Katherine, who then organize the inventory for easy distribution Friday afternoons.

The EOC is also home to an inventory of donated masks and other PPE earmarked for local first responders and senior citizens, Will said. Distribution of those items is being handled by the Town, to the agencies that need them, she said.

Will said she has enjoyed being the point of contact for those picking up the supplies.

“It’s been nice to see a lot of the business people again,” she said May 29. “The nail spas and hair salons have all be up for supplies, prepping ahead of June 20. We saw Jeff [Dymenti, manager-owner of Newtown] Dunkin Donuts, and that was great. It’s been really good to see those people, after not seeing them for so long.”

Governor Ned Lamont has since moved Connecticut's Phase 2 Reopening up a few days, to June 17.

The CBIA this week announced that 5 pm Friday, June 12, will be the final deadline for businesses to request masks and thermometers. To request a thermometer click here; to request masks, click here.