Hundreds Of Unvaccinated CT Hospital Employees Face Termination

Good Wednesday morning Connecticut,

And welcome to some fall weather. Sunshine and temperatures in the 60s dominate through Saturday. There is a chance for some rain showers on Sunday.

Low temperatures will drop into the 40s at night.

The Big Story

Hundreds Of Hospital Employees May Receive Termination Notices On Friday

Hearst Connecticut reports that termination notices will be sent out to more than 100 Yale-New Haven Health employees on Friday who have refused to get vaccinated prior to the hospital's Oct. 1 deadline.

Hospital officials told Hearst CT that if the terminated employees decide to get vaccinated later on then they can come back to work. Yale has more than 30,000 employees. (Read the full in-depth Hearst story here).

The Hartford Courant reports that at Hartford HealthCare nearly 700 employees remain unvaccinated as of late Tuesday and face termination if they don't get vaccinated. (Read the full Hartford Courant story here)

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Legislature Votes To Extend Lamont's Emergency COVID-19 Powers

In special sessions Monday and Tuesday, state lawmakers voted to keep Connecticut under a COVID-19 pandemic emergency, and extend the governor's emergency powers for the sixth time, through Feb. 15.

Notable among Gov. Ned Lamont's orders now slated for extension are those requiring masks for children and staff while in schools, and a vaccine mandate for vaccines for teachers, school bus drivers and nursing home workers.

The extension was approved 80-60 by the House on Monday, and by an 18-15 vote in the Senate on Tuesday. Democrats hold a 23-13 edge in the Senate and a 97-54 majority in the House.

During a news conference Tuesday, Lamont was asked why the extension of pandemic powers was needed as infection and hospitalization rates continue to drop in the state. The governor placed the blame on the latest coronavirus variant.

"There's something called 'delta,' that hit hard, forcing a lot of changes and rules coming from the federal government, new vaccines out there for boosters," Lamont said. "Probably going to have something for kids, so we have to be able to react."

Lamont said he didn't think another extension would be needed after this one, and predicted a return to normal "...when you continue to see the infection rate go down, when you see us through this flu season, when you see ... a higher proportion of our population, meaning young people, vaccinated, you'll know we are in good shape."

Here's a full list of which emergency powers were extended

• Executive Order No. 7P, Section 1, which concerns the authority to provide non-congregate housing to at-risk populations when housing them in group shelters or other communal settings would put them at greater risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19. It is important to note that despite claims by some commenters to the contrary, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has explicitly told Connecticut that reimbursement of about $2 million per quarter will not continue without such an order remaining in effect.
• Executive Order No. 9, Section 1, and Executive Order No. 13A, which provide the authority to require masks in schools, childcare facilities, and certain higher-risk settings, as well as providing municipal authority to require universal masking in certain settings.
• Executive Order No. 9Q, Section 3, and Executive Order No. 13C, which support the state’s comprehensive and nation-leading vaccination campaign by ensuring coordinating funding and reimbursement for vaccinations and allowing the Department of Public Health to share vaccination information with healthcare providers and local health districts.
• Executive Order No. 12D, which continues the requirement that before initiating the summary process for eviction, landlords file an application with UniteCT, the state’s nation-leading program to provide fiscal assistance to landlords and renters to prevent evictions that could lead to homelessness and the resulting increased risk of contracting and transmitting COVID-19.
• Executive Order No. 13E, which implements a streamlined training program for temporary nurse aides.
• Executive Order No. 13F and Executive Order No. 13G, which require long-term care facility workers, state hospital workers, state employees, preK through 12 school workers, and the staff of childcare facilities to get vaccinated, with test-out options for those not working in long-term care facilities and hospitals.

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If you're looking to do something fun during the Halloween season

Here's a live look at traffic conditions across CT

PUTNAM - Road Work on I-395 Northbound between Exits 47 and 49 (2.0 miles) in effect today until 3:34 pm. The right lane is closed. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 8:33 am.

THOMPSON - Road Work on I-395 Southbound between Exits 53 and 50 (3.4 miles) in effect today until 3:30 pm. The right lane is closed. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 8:34 am.

DANBURY - Road Work on I-84 Eastbound between Exits 7 and 9 (4.0 miles) in effect today until 3:33 pm. The right lane is closed. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 8:32 am.

MANCHESTER - Road Work on I-84 Westbound between Exits 63 and 61 (2.6 miles) in effect today until 3:30 pm. The 2 left lanes are closed. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 8:42 am.

DANBURY - Road Work on I-84 Eastbound between Exits 4 and 7 (3.5 miles) in effect today until 3:31 pm. The right lane is closed. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 9:12 am.

SOUTHBURY - Road Work on I-84 Westbound between Exits 16 and 15 in effect today until 3:00 pm. The right lane is closed. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 9:20 am.

HARTFORD - Delays. I-84 Eastbound is congested between Exits 43 and 50 (4.0 miles). Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 6:49 am.

ROCKY HILL - Road Work on I-91 Northbound between Exits 24 and 27 (3.8 miles) in effect today until 3:31 pm. The left lane is closed. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 9:04 am.

CROMWELL - Crash (1 Vehicle) on I-91 Northbound between Exits 22 and 23. The left lane is closed. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 9:00 am.

EAST LYME - Road Work on I-95 Southbound between Exits 71 and 70 (3.7 miles) in effect today until 4:00 pm. The left lane is closed. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 9:11 am.

GROTON - Road Work on I-95 Northbound between Exits 83 and 85 in effect today until 4:00 pm. The right lane is closed. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 9:14 am.

MADISON - Road Work on I-95 Southbound between Exits 62 and 61 (1.6 miles) in effect today until 4:00 pm. The right lane is closed. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 9:25 am.

MILFORD - Road Work on I-95 Northbound between Exits 38 and 39A (1.3 miles) in effect today until 4:00 pm. The right lane is closed. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 9:27 am.

WEST HAVEN - Road Work on I-95 Southbound between Exits 43 and 42 (1.5 miles) in effect today until 4:00 pm. The right lane is closed. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 9:33 am.

WESTPORT - Road Work on I-95 Northbound between Exits 17 and 19 (4.9 miles) in effect today until 3:36 pm. Expect lane closures. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 9:36 am.

FAIRFIELD - Delays. I-95 Southbound is congested between Exits 19 and 13 (7.8 miles). Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 8:21 am

NEW CANAAN - ROUTE 106 both directions CLOSED between Main Street and Forest Street because of a Hazardous road condition. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 6:22 am.

WALLINGFORD - Road Work on RT15 Northbound between Exits 64 and 66 (2.9 miles) in effect today until 4:00 pm. The right lane is closed. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 9:31 am.

STRATFORD - Delays. RT15 Southbound is congested between Exits 44 and 35 (13.8 miles). Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 6:19 am.

E. HARTFORD - Road Work on RT2 Eastbound Exit 5D RAMP in effect today until 3:31 pm. The left lane is closed. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 9:22 am.

E. HARTFORD - Delays. RT2 Westbound is congested between Exits 4 and 2W (0.5 miles). Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 7:58 am.

HARWINTON - Road Work on RT8 Northbound between Exits 42 and 43 (2.2 miles) in effect today until 3:31 pm. The left lane is closed. Reported Wednesday, September 29 at 8:39 am.