Danbury Cancels Fall Youth Sports Amidst Coronavirus Surge

DANBURY, CT — Mayor Mark Boughton has announced the city is canceling all youth sports in the city due to an uptick in positive coronavirus cases.

"Things like Pop Warner Football, soccer leagues, they'e all going to have to shut down after this weekend," Boughton said during a livestreamed news conference on Wednesday night.

The sports shutdowns do not include high school sports, Boughton said, as those are the purview of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference.

"We have two doctors who have both analyzed the data, and we think this is the most prudent thing we can do right now," Boughton said.

That data includes an additional 22 residents who were reported COVID-19 positive on Wednesday, two on Tuesday, and 14 on Monday.

"I want the kids on the field, too," Boughton said. "But we got to do what we got to do."

Boughton is encouraging residents to be tested for the virus whether or not they have symptoms, free of charge, this Saturday at Roger's Park Middle School.