CT Coronavirus Updates: 16 New Deaths, Total Hits 69

CONNECTICUT — Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday afternoon that another 557 residents have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the total to 3,128. Sixty-nine people have died, including 16 in the past 24 hours, and 608 have been hospitalized.

Lamont said 17 additional deaths were not previously reported. He said state officials just learned of the new deaths and announced them Tuesday. On Monday, 36 deaths were reported across the state.

Lamont said the increases are not unexpected and ramping up. He noted that the highest number of cases are still in Fairfield County at 1,870. New Haven County has 517 cases and Lamont said the virus is "heading north."

The latest Connecticut coronavirus numbers

These are coronavirus cases by county:

• Fairfield 1,870
• Hartford 393
• Litchfield 121
• Middlesex 56
• New Haven 517
• New London 27
• Tolland 56
• Windham 11

The total deaths by county are: Fairfield with 38, New Haven with 12, Hartford with seven, Tolland with seven, and Litchfield, Middlesex and New London with one. Two deaths have not been assigned to a county yet.

Of the 69 deaths, 41 were people over the age of 80, 19 were between the ages of 70 and 79, two were between the ages of 60 and 69, four were between the ages of 50 and 59, two were between the ages of 40 and 49, and one was between the ages of 30 and 39.

The number of hospitalizations by county are: Fairfield with 275, New Haven with 202, Hartford with 110, New London with eight, Litchfield with seven, Middlesex with five, and Tolland with one.

Connecticut is on its own for now, Lamont says

Lamont said while the state has hospital capacity and is "doing everything we can do going forward," he stressed that Connecticut is the "fourth-most COVID-infected (state) in the country.

"That's why I want to impress upon the feds to think of this as a region, not state-by-state" crisis.

Lamont also said it was "disturbing to find out" that the national strategic stockpiles of protective equipment and gear are empty. "For now, we are on our own and for now we're working our hearts out scouring the globe for ventilators."

"This breaks my heart," he added, as he listed the people who are on the front lines of the public health crisis from doctors, nurses and first responders to grocery store workers and delivery drivers.

"They're our front line heroes," he said. "I'm asking everybody else to say at home."

"I feel like a general sending troops into battle without the gear to protect themselves. I'm working on it everyday with all my heart," Lamont said as he predicted "April is going to be a horrible month," and pleaded with people to stay at home. "I can't tell you how urgent this is."

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Banks agree to 90-day grace period on mortgages, no foreclosures and other financial news

Jorge Perez, state department of banking commissioner announced mortgage relief to the state’s residents and businesses who continue to face hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the agreement, the following relief policies are being offered by participating financial institutions:

A 90-day grace period for all mortgage payments: Participating financial institutions are now offering mortgage-payment forbearances of up to 90 days, which will allow homeowners to reduce or delay monthly mortgage payments.

But Perez cautioned that people should give banks a couple of days before calling.

In addition, the banks will:

Provide a streamlined process for requesting forbearance for COVID-19-related reasons, supported with available documentation;

Confirm approval and terms of forbearance program; and provide the opportunity to extend forbearance agreements if faced with continued hardship resulting from COVID-19.

Relief from fees and charges for 90 days: For at least 90 days, participating financial institutions will waive or refund mortgage-related late fees and other fees including early CD withdrawals.

No new foreclosures for 60 days: Financial institutions will not start any foreclosure sales or evictions.

No credit score changes for accessing relief: For those taking advantage of this COVID-19-related relief, late or missed payments will not be shared with credit reporting agencies.

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The agreement builds upon similar initiatives that have been enacted in recent days in California and New Jersey, and has been endorsed by the Connecticut Bankers Association and the Credit Union League of Connecticut.

More than 50 credit unions and banks statewide are participating, including Webster Bank, American Eagle Financial Credit Union, Liberty Bank, Charter Oak Federal Credit Union, Bank of America, Nutmeg State Financial Credit Union, and Peoples United Bank. Additional financial institutions are expected to join the initiative in the coming days. The Department of Banking will maintain updated list of participating institutions on its website.

“This agreement with our financial institutions will allow Connecticut residents to obtain some relief as this public health emergency has had an impact on thousands of people in our state,” Lamont said. “I thank each of these financial institutions that will provide this relief and applaud their participation in this agreement. The way we are going to get through this crisis is by working together, and this is an example of how we are going to get that done.”

The Department of Banking, along with the state’s banks and credit unions, is reminding residents that their money remains safe during the COVID-19 crisis and protected by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). No deposits have ever been lost under the protection of the FDIC and NCUA.

“This is a time when we need our entire financial services industry to come together to work tirelessly for the people of Connecticut, which is why I have asked the banks and credit unions to join forces and present one united approach which tells all of Connecticut, ‘We are in this together,’” Perez said. “I am pleased to see that these efforts are well underway and that they are helping Connecticut residents work through this challenge.”

Leadership at Connecticut’s credit unions and banks said that they are flexibly meeting member and customer needs everyday on a case-by-case basis in a number of ways that may include fee waivers, access to short-term loans, loan deferrals and uninterrupted access to digital services, even though some credit unions and banks have temporarily limited physical access to their lobbies.

Banking officials are stressing that customers with loans should stay in close contact with their financial institution to identify their particular needs and work on customized solutions. They are also reminding customers that measures to protect people's health and safety continue to be available:

Drive-through services are available at numerous branches;

Individual appointments for in-person meetings are available at many financial institutions;

Call centers employees stand ready to assist customers and members;

Technology platforms give ready access to online services like bill pay, transfers, remote depositing of checks and ATMs for cash needs; and people can use mobile payment channels and debit cards or credit cards to make purchases.