CT Coronavirus Update: 27 Deaths, 1,291 Cases

HARTFORD, CT — Three weeks ago, Gov. Ned Lamont was at Danbury Hospital announcing the first case of coronavirus in the state. On Friday, he announced six more deaths and 279 more cases of COVID-19 compared to Thursday. Total cases hit 1,291.

Lamont and public health officials said there have been 27 deaths and 173 people hospitalized.

"It's the beginning of the surge," Lamont said. "We're preparing ... but we do need volunteers."

Lamont said the cases Friday were "biggest number" yet but the percentage of positive tests was "lower," at 15 percent. Officials said coronavirus may hit its peak in Connecticut during the second week of April.

Officials also revealed 61 percent of the state's approximately 6,800 hospital beds are currently full, but hospitals have worked to free up beds by postponing elective surgeries.

Connecticut coronavirus cases so far

In Fairfield County, there are 752 cases, 68 people hospitalized and 15 deaths. In New Haven County, there are 222 cases, 46 people hospitalized and six deaths. In Hartford County, there are 189 cases, 36 people hospitalized and two deaths.

In Litchfield County, there are 52 cases and nine people hospitalized. In Tolland County, there are 33 cases, seven people hospitalized and three deaths. In Middlesex County, there are 25 cases, five people hospitalized, and one death. In New London County, there are 15 cases and two people hospitalized, and in Windham County there are three cases.

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Health care workers are 'heroes'

At Friday's press briefing, Jeffrey Flaks, president and CEO of Hartford Hospital, praised Lamont for his response to the health crisis. He said looking at the health care workers on the front lines has been "very inspiring."

"They're heroes everyday," Flaks said.

Flaks said that of the 30,000 people who work at Hartford Healthcare, "less than a handful" have contracted coronavirus. He said necessary precautions are being taken, including taking the temperatures of all health care workers.

Lamont said personal protective equipment is still in short supply despite. The state had orders that were scheduled for delivery but have not come, he said, adding the state has worked with reputable vendors and it's not clear why there's a delay. There are reports that states are in bidding wars trying to get equipment.

Ventilators are still in critically short supply, something Lamont called "unconscionable." The state had initially requested 500 and since have requested 1,500 from the national stockpile but officials have not heard back, state Chief Operating Officer Josh Geballe said. There are currently 932 ventilators in Connecticut hospitals.

Updated town-by-town Connecticut coronavirus numbers

Andover 0
Ansonia 3
Ashford 0
Avon 6
Barkhamsted 0
Beacon Falls 1
Berlin 9
Bethany 0
Bethel 11
Bethlehem 3
Bloomfield 3
Bolton 2
Bozrah 0
Branford 12
Bridgeport 41
Bridgewater 1
Bristol 7
Brookfield 29
Brooklyn 0
Burlington 3
Canaan 0
Canterbury 0
Canton 0
Chaplin 0
Cheshire 6
Chester 0
Clinton 5
Colchester 1
Colebrook 0
Columbia 2
Cornwall 1
Coventry 3
Cromwell 1
Danbury 85
Darien 20
Deep River 2
Derby 3
Durham 1
East Granby 1
East Haddam 0
East Hampton 1
East Hartford 3
East Haven 7
East Lyme 2
East Windsor 0
Eastford 0
Easton 3
Ellington 0
Enfield 10
Essex 0
Fairfield 18
Farmington 11
Franklin 1
Glastonbury 8
Goshen 0
Granby 0
Greenwich 77

Griswold 0
Groton 1
Guilford 3
Haddam 1
Hamden 11
Hampton 0
Hartford 21
Hartland 0
Harwinton 4
Hebron 1
Kent 1
Killingly 1
Killingworth 1
Lebanon 0
Ledyard 1
Lisbon 2
Litchfield 2
Lyme 1
Madison 6
Manchester 12
Mansfield 1
Marlborough 2
Meriden 9
Middlebury 2
Middlefield 0
Middletown 6
Milford 15
Monroe 6
Montville 1
Morris 1
Naugatuck 7
New Britain 11
New Canaan 18
New Fairfield 16
New Hartford 0
New Haven 52
New London 1
New Milford 10
Newington 14
Newtown 16
Norfolk 1
North Branford 0
North Canaan 0
North Haven 1
North Stonington 0
Norwalk 105
Norwich 2
Old Lyme 0
Old Saybrook 4
Orange 6
Oxford 5
Plainfield 0
Plainville 3
Plymouth 1
Pomfret 0
Portland 2
Preston 0

Prospect 1
Putnam 0
Redding 7
Ridgefield 46
Rocky Hill 11
Roxbury 1
Salem 0
Salisbury 3
Scotland 0
Seymour 5
Sharon 2
Shelton 18
Sherman 2
Simsbury 4
Somers 0
South Windsor 4
Southbury 5
Southington 13
Sprague 0
Stafford 14
Stamford 76
Sterling 0
Stonington 1
Stratford 17
Suffield 7
Thomaston 5
Thompson 0
Tolland 6
Torrington 8
Trumbull 8
Union 0
Vernon 4
Voluntown 1
Wallingford 2
Warren 0
Washington 5
Waterbury 36
Waterford 0
Watertown 1
West Hartford 9
West Haven 18
Westbrook 1
Weston 13
Westport 95
Wethersfield 6
Willington 0
Wilton 25
Winchester 0
Windham 0
Windsor 9
Windsor Locks 2
Wolcott 3
Woodbridge 3
Woodbury 2
Woodstock 2

Lamont's newest executive order explained

Hours after Thursday's media briefing, late into the night, Lamont signed another executive order — the fifteenth since he enacted the emergency declarations — that builds upon his efforts to encourage mitigation strategies that slow down transmission of the virus. He said Friday more will come.

Read the full order here:

CT Gov. Lamont Executive Or... by Ellyn Santiago on Scribd

>

These are components of the new order:

Restricts all social and recreational gatherings to no more than five people: The order modifies the governor’s earlier executive order placing limits on the amount of people who can participate in social and recreational gatherings and reduces that number to no more than five people, through at least April 30, 2020 unless otherwise modified. This order includes, but is not limited to, community, civic, leisure, or sporting events; parades; concerns; festivals; plays or live performances; conventions and similar activities; except that religious, spiritual, or worship gatherings will remain subject only to the prohibition of 50 persons or more. This does not apply to government operations, private workplaces, retail establishments, or other activities that are not social or recreational gatherings.

Restricts restaurant payment and pickup operations: Where reasonably practicable, the order requires restaurants, eating establishments, and any bars that remain open for sales of food for off-premise consumption to limit entrance of customers or third party delivery personnel into their locations to the minimum extent necessary to pick up and/or pay for orders, use touchless payment systems, and require remote ordering and payment. The order does not require businesses to acquire or use ordering or payment technology that they do not already have, doesn’t prohibit drive-through ordering and pickup, and doesn’t prohibit in-person payment or cash payment where this is no reasonable alternative. Previously issued guidance for hospital and business cafeterias remains in effect.

Further restricts retail operations: The order requires all retail establishments that have been allowed to remain open and permit customers inside to take appropriate and reasonable measures to ensure customers maintain six feet of distance between each other and to manage any resulting lines to maintain such distance while people are waiting to enter. It also requires these establishments, where reasonably practical, to employ touchless payment technology if they already have such technology available and the customer has such technology available.

Requires firearm transactions to be conducted by appointment only: The order requires all retail businesses that sell firearms, ammunition, and other similar components or supplies to conduct all transactions by appointment only in order to limit person-to-person contact as much as possible, effective immediately. Appointments must be limited in order to allow a six-foot distance between any customers and staff in a store, and only customers conducting such transactions will be allowed in the store.

Suspension of tax on single-use checkout bags: The order temporarily suspends certain state statutes in order to suspend any tax on single-use plastic checkout bags at grocery stores and other retail businesses.

Prohibits employers from requiring employees to place items in customers’ reusable bags: The order prohibits employers of any grocery store or retail business from requiring their employees to bag items into a customer-provided reusable bag. Customers are still permitted to use reusable bags, but they may need to bag their own items.

Suspends 21-month limit on Temporary Family Assistance: The order modifies certain statutes and regulations to exclude from the 21-month time limit on receipt of Temporary Family Assistance all months of such assistance received during the public health and civil preparedness emergency. Suspending the time limit for this program will help families get the time and resources they need to get back on their path to self-sufficiency after the emergency is over.

Suspends school testing assessments for the 2019-2020 school year: Recognizing that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major disruption on schools, the order waives all annual student assessment test requirements for the current school year.