MILFORD, CT — A Milford resident has tested positive for the new coronavirus, top city officials said.

"We have received confirmation from the CT Department of Public Health that a Milford resident tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently recovering at home," said City of Milford Health Director Deepa Joseph. "The Milford Health Department is working with the CT Department of Public Health to identify and notify potential contacts that may have been exposed. We encourage residents to continue to practice precautions to slow the spread of this virus and protect the health of our residents as we anticipate seeing additional cases." (To sign up for Milford breaking news alerts and more, click here.) As part of the contact investigation related to the individual who tested positive, the Milford Health Department, in partnership with the Connecticut Department of Public Health will notify all individuals considered to be a close contact of the individual and further guidance will be provided. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Preventive measures that are encouraged include frequent hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes, and cleaning high-touch surfaces often.

"Over the last few weeks, the City has gone through great lengths to prepare for COVID-19. The individual is currently home recovering and we will continue to implement efforts to keep Milford residents safe and healthy. Again, I want to stress the importance of social distancing, hand washing, keeping common areas clean, and to heed the advice from our medical and public health professionals," said Milford's Mayor Ben Blake. "The City of Milford has a long history of coming together in times of need and this is no different. While it's not ideal to implement social distancing, it's vitally important to reducing the spread of COVID-19," said Blake.

Effective at 8 p.m. tonight, actions have been taken statewide to limit crowd capacity for social and recreational gatherings to 50 people. Additionally, restaurants and bars that serve food will temporarily be required to move to take-out and delivery services only. Bars that do not serve food will be required to temporarily close. Milford restaurant and bar owners in need of guidance specific to converting to take-out and delivery only operations can contact the Milford Health Department at 203-783-3285.

In light of these changes and in an effort to ensure seniors and our students in need have access to food, the Milford Senior Center and Milford Public Schools have implemented programs to assist. The Milford Senior Center has instituted a "To Go" only program. Those seniors in need of meals should contact the Senior Center to schedule delivery or drive through service. Meals will be provided for 3 days at a time.

Milford Public Schools Food Services will provide breakfast and lunch meals for students at no charge to all household members, aged 18 and younger, as long as one child in the household is enrolled in any Milford Public School.

"While the news of a confirmed case can create concern, we encourage Milford residents to take an active role by doing their part to remain healthy and limit community spread of this virus. As such, Milford residents are encouraged to stay home as much as possible and only go out for essential purposes," officials said in a statement. If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, please: