Update: June 2 7:30 p.m. – State Response to Coronavirus

Friends and Neighbors,

In a press release and during his daily press briefing, Governor Lamont announced Executive Order No. 7VV to modify the number of children allowed in daycare facilities.

To watch a video of his press conference, please click here:

More information and the governor’s full press release can be read here: https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases/2020/06-2020/Governor-Lamont-Coronavirus-Update-June-2

Executive Order No. 7VV enacts the following provisions:

• Amended limitation on program sizes in child care: Modifies the number of children that a child care program can serve during the civil preparedness and public health emergency from 30 to 50 without needing to obtain approval from the Office of Early Childhood. Any facility caring for more than 50 children will need to obtain approval.

**Download: Governor Lamont’s Executive Order No. 7VV

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FEMA approves funding for crisis counseling in Connecticut

Governor Lamont today announced that the State of Connecticut has received approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide crisis counseling to those who have been impacted by COVID-19. This program will be administered by the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services in cooperation with the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. A federal grant of $669,404 will be utilized by the state to provide the following services:

• Crisis counseling to persons experiencing homelessness who are in shelters, hotels, and in the community, as well as staff in these facilities;
• Crisis counseling to senior citizens in congregate care settings and the community; and
• Enhancement of crisis counseling call-line services provided through United Way 2-1-1.

The funding will also be used to develop a statewide advertising and media campaign, including social media outreach for the purpose of linking victim families to needed resources, as well as provide psychological first aid support and stress management tips.

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Additional emergency SNAP benefits being delivered June 18 to more than 108,000 households in Connecticut

The Connecticut Department of Social Services today announced that it will provide $16.3 million in emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to nearly half of Connecticut’s SNAP participants on Friday, June 12, 2020. This is in addition to the $50.2 million in emergency benefits disbursed in April and May.

Authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, the extra food benefits will go to more than 108,000 households in the state that are not currently receiving the maximum benefits allowed for their household size. This means that all households in enrolled in SNAP will receive the maximum food benefit allowable for their household size, even if they are not usually eligible for the maximum benefit.

Specifically:

• The Department of Social Services expects that more than 108,000 of the 222,000 households enrolled in SNAP in Connecticut will receive the emergency benefits in June.
• With this additional $16.3 million allocation, emergency SNAP benefits are totaling over $66.5 million in additional assistance statewide during April, May, and June, with commensurate spending in the food economy.
• The average emergency benefit amount a household will see on its electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card on June 12 is $150.
• All participating households will also receive their normal SNAP benefits on the first three days of each month as they normally do, according to last name.

More information can be found here: https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases/2020/06-2020/Governor-Lamont-Coronavirus-Update-June-2

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As of 4:00 p.m. – Tuesday, June 2^nd – the state is reporting a total of 42979 cases of Coronavirus. Updated virus totals and Town-by-Town statistics can be accessed here: https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus

The total statewide number of COVID-19 associated fatalities is 3972.

*In Connecticut during the early months of this pandemic, it became increasingly clear that it would be necessary to track probable COVID-19 cases and deaths, in addition to laboratory-confirmed (RT- PCR) cases and deaths. This was needed to better measure the burden and impact of this disease in our communities and is now part of the national surveillance case definition for COVID-19. Probable cases of COVID-19 involve persons who have not had confirmatory laboratory testing (RT-PCR) performed for COVID-19, but whose symptoms indicate they are likely to have a COVID-19 infection. In Connecticut, most of the probable COVID-19 cases involve persons whose death certificates list COVID-19 disease or SARS-CoV-2 as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death. Prior to June 1, probable and confirmed cases were reported together.

Latest COVID-19 Testing Data in Connecticut

Updated 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Total patients who tested positive: 40941 confirmed/2038 probable

Fairfield County: 15073/291

Hartford County: 9861/302

Litchfield County: 1336/20

Middlesex County: 1098/33

New Haven County: 11139/148

New London County: 1035/24

Tolland County: 772/14

Windham County: 383/1

Pending address validation: 244/0