Lamont Defends School Masks, Preps CT For 3rd Vaccine Shots

CONNECTICUT — Emphasizing that he could not think of "anything more important than getting our kids back to school safely," Gov. Ned Lamont defended his decision requiring school staff and students to wear masks inside school buildings during a news conference Wednesday.

The executive order, passed in the spring, is currently set to remain in effect until Sept. 30, at which point Lamont's emergency executive powers are due to expire.

But that's not written in stone.

"The legislature can come back into session, and they could say, 'Let's extend the powers in a very narrow sense for another month or two,'" Lamont told reporters.

The governor said an extension of his emergency powers would give him "the flexibility to deal with the fast-changing world."

Lamont also reaffirmed that any mandate for vaccinated residents to wear masks inside restaurants and other local businesses would remain the decision of town and city governments.

"I think what we are doing town-by-town makes sense," Lamont said.

The governor signed an executive order on Aug. 5 empowering town and city leaders to require masks in indoor public places within their local jurisdiction for all residents, regardless of vaccination status. In the week that followed, leaders in cities New Haven, Bridgeport, Hartford, Stamford, Danbury and Norwalk, along with some neighboring towns, all began mandating masks inside publicly accessible areas.

Lamont said that businesses, restaurants and mayors "know their communities really well. Some of these communities are 90 percent vaccinated, some are 50 percent vaccinated. So I am not sure we need a statewide mandate regarding masks at this point."

Increased Demand For The Vaccine?

Connecticut is ready for the anticipated increased demand for the vaccine to be triggered by the availability of a booster shot, according to Lamont.

Federal health officials have called for COVID-19 booster shots for all Americans eight months after they get their second dose of the vaccine, to ensure longer-lasting protection as the delta variant spreads across the country.

Vaccine manufacturer Pfizer has released data indicating that people who received a third dose had higher levels of antibodies against several strains of the coronavirus, including the delta variant.

Last week, state health officials began collaborating with hospitals and health systems to establish consistent guidelines for administering that third vaccine dose to residents with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients and organ transplant recipients.

The announcement today from the Biden administration is not expected to take effect until Sept. 20, according to a news release from DPH. Connecticut state health officials said they will review further guidance when it is issued by Food & Drug Administration and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices about the particulars of a booster program.

The number of Connecticut residents suffering from COVID-19 in a hospital continues to spike. Another 27 patients admitted in the last 24 hours brings the number of residents hospitalized with the virus to 348.

The daily coronavirus positivity rate is back below 3 percent, but not by much. The state Department of Public Health reported 593 positive cases of coronavirus in state, out of v tests taken, for a rate of 2.99 percent.

See Also: 'Aggressive And Disruptive' Mask Dispute At Fairfield Meeting

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