Coronavirus CT: New Orders Address Schools, Fishing And Marriage

CONNECTICUT — The number of people in Connecticut testing positive for the new coronavirus increased by 203 cases or nearly one third in a 24-hour span, top Connecticut officials said. The number of deaths as a result of COVID-19 is now at 12 in the state.

The total number of positive cases in Connecticut stands at 618 and 5,300 tests have been administered at various locations across the state. A total of 71 people are hospitalized and there was a recent spike in the number of positive cases in Hartford and New Haven county.

In Fairfield County, 384 cases have been reported, 23 patients are in the hospital and seven deaths reported. In Hartford County, 88 cases have been reported, 17 patients are in the hospital and two deaths reported. In New Haven County, 89 cases have been reported, 19 patients are in the hospital and zero deaths reported.

In Litchfield County, 22 cases have been reported, 3 patients are in the hospital and zero deaths reported. In Tolland County, 19 cases have been reported, 4 patients are in the hospital and 3 deaths reported.

In Middlesex County, 8 cases have been reported, 4 patients are in the hospital and zero deaths reported. In New London County, 6 cases have been reported, 1 patients are in the hospital and zero deaths reported. In Windham County, 2 cases have been reported, 0 patients are in the hospital and zero reported. See related: (Coronavirus CT: Town-By-Town Numbers Released)

Governor Lamont's Latest Executive Order

Schools To Remain Closed

Extends the cancellation of classes at public schools statewide through at least April 20: To promote and secure the safety and protection of children in schools related to the risks of COVID-19, the order extends the cancelation of classes at all public schools statewide through April 20, 2020. The governor notes that this date could possibly be extended further. Private schools and other non-public schools are encouraged to follow the same schedule. See related: Coronavirus CT: Schools Likely To Remain Closed Until Fall

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You Can Now Fish

Orders the early opening of the fishing season, effective immediately.

Re-Employment Of Retired Municipal Employees

Suspends restrictions on the re-employment of retired municipal employees: To enable municipalities to meet critical staffing needs caused by COVID-19 with skilled and experienced employees who require little to no additional training, the order modifies state statutes to allow certain retired employees who are in the municipal retirement system to work without any hourly or durational limitation while also continuing to receive retirement allowances.

Medical Marijuana Accessibility

Exacts flexibility to maintain adequate medical marijuana access for patients: The order modifies the state’s medical marijuana program to improve patient access and address staffing shortages in facilities. This includes permitting patients to be certified via telehealth; extending expiration dates for patient and caregiver registrations; allowing dispensary facility staff to move work locations among facilities and, with approval of the state, make adjustments to staffing ratios; and waiving the fee normally charged if someone loses or misplaces their registration certificate.

Nursing Homes

Extends the time period for nursing home transfers: The order extends the time allowed for an applicant to transfer from a nursing home where they were temporarily placed after their nursing home closed from sixty days after their arrival at the new facility to “not later than one year following the date that such applicant was transferred from the nursing home where he or she previously resided.”

Vital Records Including Marriage Licenses

Enacts flexibility in availability and registration of vital records: The order authorizes the Commissioner of Public Health to conduct birth, death and marriage registration, in order to assist local registrars of vital statistics in carrying out their duties as may be required, and to issue any implementing orders she deems necessary.

Suspends in-person purchase of copies of vital records at the Department of Public Health: The order suspends the requirement that the purchase of vital records at the Department of Public Health be available in person, and limits those requests to online or mail.

Modifies the requirement that marriage licenses be obtained in the town where the marriage will be celebrated: As municipal offices around the state are closed or have selective hours due to the COVID-19 crisis, the order permits those seeking a marriage license to obtain it in a different municipality than where it will be celebrated.

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Florida Expands Self-Quarantine Order Which Involves CT

The governor of Florida expanded his 14-day, self-quarantine order aimed at people fleeing three Northeast state's coronavirus lockdowns including Connecticut to now include travelers who arrived in the Sunshine State up to three weeks ago.

Speaking on the first day of his order requiring all incoming air passengers from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to self-quarantine, Gov. Ron DeSantis noted the virus has likely been circulating in the New York area for three or four weeks. The order to report and self-quarantine to some extent relies on travelers to answer honestly and follow the rules.

"The problem for Florida is we have a lot of interaction back and forth between the New York City area and the state of Florida," DeSantis said Tuesday. "So you had people probably, unwittingly at the time, be there within the last couple of weeks and then come to Florida."

Under the governor's expanded order, which was released Tuesday night, people who traveled from the New York City area to Florida — at any time during the last three weeks — must self-isolate and report the close contacts they've had in the state of Florida.

"We think that that's important because you may have had someone who got back 10 days ago," the governor said. "Maybe they've not even shown symptoms but they could be infected. If they are working with folks in Florida, or interacting with them in Florida, that is a way that this virus can spread." Related: FL Orders NY, NJ, CT Travelers To Self-Quarantine For Coronavirus

The Florida governor's expanded order requires travelers "to inform any individual in Florida with whom they have had direct physical contact in the past 21 days that they traveled from an area with substantial community spread."

Violations will be treated as second-degree misdemeanors punishable by up to a $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail. The document directs all state, county and local law enforcement officials to enforce the order. with reporting by By Paul Scicchitano, Patch Staff

Mobile field hospital launches at Saint Francis Hospital

In coordination with the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), a mobile field hospital was deployed today on the grounds of Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford with the assistance of the Governor’s Foot and Horse Guard.

The Ottilie W. Lundgren Memorial Field Hospital is a state-of-the-art mobile field hospital designed to support the state’s health care system in response to significant emergencies. It is deployable as a flexible configuration of 25-bed units that operate jointly or independently to provide triage and treatment anywhere in the state in the event of a mass casualty. It can also support an acute care hospital after a catastrophic structural or mechanical failure. The hospital assembles in hours and can be ready to triage and treat hundreds of patients during any public health emergency. It was named in 2006 in honor of a Connecticut woman who died from inhalational anthrax in 2001. Governor Lamont and DPH Commissioner Renée D. Coleman-Mitchell toured the mobile unit this afternoon.

Department of Public Health seeks healthcare professionals to volunteer their services

DPH is asking healthcare professionals, such as retired nurses and doctors, to consider volunteering their services at a medical facility in Connecticut. Those willing to volunteer should fill out the online form located at ctresponds.ct.gov, and their information will be reviewed by staff at DPH who will connect the volunteer to a location in need. Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, more than 900 nurses have already signed up to volunteer, and DPH is ready to activate more than 300.

State continues receiving PPE donations from entities across Connecticut

As part of Lamont’s ongoing request for donations of Personal Protective Equipment that can be used by the medical community, the state today received several more shipments of materials, including:

· 30 N95 masks from an anonymous donor
· 68 N95 masks from Kilbourn Farms in Simsbury
· 40 N95 masks from a private donor in Redding
· 160 N95 masks and nearly 40,000 nitrile gloves from the Mohegan Sun

The governor thanks each of the donors for their generosity. The donations will be distributed based on the needs of medical facilities and first responders.

Members of the public, businesses, and philanthropic organizations that are able to donate these vital materials are urged to contact the state by filling out the online form located at www.211ct.org/DonationsCOVID19.

Insurance Department calls on insurers to extend a grace period for premium payments during the COVID-19 crisis

Connecticut Insurance Department (CID) Commissioner Andrew N. Mais today sent a bulletin to every insurance company in the state calling on them to immediately institute a grace period for insurance premium payments in light of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The commissioner is requesting that all admitted and nonadmitted insurance companies that offer any insurance coverage in Connecticut – including life, health, auto, property, casualty, and other types of insurance – to immediately provide customers with a 60-day grace period without interest or penalty to pay their insurance premiums.

Connecticut National Guard continues providing logistical support to medical facilities

The Connecticut National Guard is continuing to provide logistical support to medical facilities across the state. Leadership at the Guard wants residents to be aware that if they see a man or woman in their community wearing a military uniform it is likely because they are providing assistance to ensure that health care workers have the ability to do their jobs.

As another philanthropic donor steps forward, Governor Lamont creates task force of superintendents to oversee distribution of remote learning resources

Lamont today announced that the Nooyi family is making a donation of high-quality, take-home books from Scholastic that will provide reading and writing instruction to more than 185,000 prekindergarten to 8th grade students while learning from home. The books are aligned with Connecticut state learning standards, and parents are encouraged to work with students at home to complete these exercises.

This donation comes in addition to another one announced yesterday by the nonprofit Partnership of Connecticut, which will be providing up to 60,000 laptops to students from some of the state’s most under-resourced high schools.

To oversee the distribution of these resources, Governor Lamont and State Department of Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona have created the Governor’s COVID-19 Learn from Home Task Force, which will consist of several superintendents from across the state, including Paul Freeman (Guilford) and Nate Quesnel (East Hartford), who will serve as co-chairs, and Michael Connor (Middletown), Melony Brady Shanley (Winchester), Verna Ruffin (Waterbury), and Iline Tracy (New Haven), who will serve as members. Nick Simmons, Manager of Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the Governor, and Desi Nesmith, Deputy Commissioner of SDE, will also serve as members. The group will be responsible for coordinating superintendents of districts that opt-in for the donations to ensure a safe and efficient distribution process of these critical learning materials to districts and families across the state.

Governor Lamont reminds residents that Access Health CT’s special open enrollment period runs through April 2

Lamont is reminding Connecticut residents who need health care that Access Health CT is running a special open enrollment period right now that closes on Thursday, April 2. Any uninsured person in the state is urged to contact the organization to begin the enrollment process by calling 855-365-2428 anytime on Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The special open enrollment period was enacted due to the COVID-19 crisis. For more information, including an FAQ, click here.