Coronavirus CT: 43 More Deaths, Town-By-Town Cases

CONNECTICUT — With over 600 restaurants closing in Connecticut due to the coronavirus pandemic and many more struggling, Gov. Ned Lamont said Wednesday the state is looking to offer aid to the industry.

The Republican-American reported the assistance would be a stopgap measure until or unless additional federal aid becomes available.

The Connecticut Restaurant Association, which said its industry is "on the verge of collapse," has been calling on to Lamont throw it a lifeline. Restaurant workers are organizing a protest Monday outside the governor's residence in Hartford to underscore their needs.

Lamont has recently been lobbied by several doctors to close gyms and eliminate indoor dining to prevent the spread of the virus. Lamont thus far has refused to do either and reiterated his desire to see indoor dining continue.

The restaurant association released a statement earlier this week saying, "For most of this year, Connecticut and its local restaurant industry proved that it was possible to put public safety first without losing sight of our local economy. Remember, Connecticut has allowed indoor dining since June, which means that for more than four months customers dined indoors while the state kept positive COVID test rates at about one percent.

"Now though, we're getting mixed messages from Governor Lamont and his team. We understand there is a spike in cases, and we're ready to keep doing everything necessary to put safety first. But the message from (Monday's press conference) seemed to be either that restaurants are to blame, or that shutting down indoor dining would solve the problem, neither of which is true. What is true is that neighboring states are putting far more money into programs designed to help local businesses survive the months ahead. It's extremely upsetting that our industry, which is made up almost entirely of small businesses, are now worried about being left out in the cold by their state."

The state Department of Public Health recorded another 43 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total to 5,285 since the start of the pandemic.

The positive test rate dropped slightly to 7.56 percent after Tuesday's pandemic high of 8.65 percent. The state also reported another 2,290 coronavirus cases Tuesday.

Coronavirus hospitalizations Wednesday increased by 39 patients, down one from Tuesday. Current hospitalizations stand at 1,262.

The towns with the biggest single-day change in coronavirus cases Wednesday were:

1. Hartford: 130

2. Danbury: 129

3. Bridgeport: 111

4. New Britain: 104

5. Stamford: 95

6. Waterbury: 87

7. Manchester: 59

8. Norwalk: 57

9. Meriden: 56

10. West Hartford: 49

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The towns with the biggest change over the past week are:

1. Waterbury: 843

2. Bridgeport: 803

3. Hartford: 780

4. Danbury: 664

5. Stamford: 633

6. New Britain: 496

7. Norwalk: 437

8. Meriden: 421

9. New Haven: 364

10. East Hartford: 333