Update: June 9 7:00 p.m. – State Response to Coronavirus
Friends and Neighbors,
In a press release and during his daily press briefing, Governor Lamont announced that he intends to call a special session of the legislature to address absentee ballot initiatives and to take action on police accountability.
To watch a video of his press conference, please click here:
Governor Lamont notifies legislative leaders that he intends to call a special session
Governor Ned Lamont today sent a letter to the bipartisan leadership of the Connecticut General Assembly notifying them of his intention to call the legislature into a special session to resolve the issue of absentee ballots in the November general election and to take immediate action on police accountability and transparency in the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month. The governor has directed his chief of staff, Paul Mounds, Jr., to commence discussions with each of the leaders on the details of proposed legislation on those topics.
**Download: Governor Lamont’s letter to legislative leaders regarding a special session
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State reaches resolution on access to visitation for persons with disabilities in health care facilities during COVID-19 pandemic
The Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced that it has reached an early case resolution with the State of Connecticut regarding visitation policies for persons with disabilities in short-term hospitals, outpatient clinics, and outpatient surgical facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of the resolution, the Connecticut Department of Public Health today released an order ensuring that people with disabilities have reasonable access to support personnel in hospital settings in a manner that is consistent with disability rights laws and the health and safety of patients, health care providers, and support persons. The order includes establishing a statewide policy requiring hospitals and other acute care settings to permit the entrance of a designated support person for a patient with a disability and permitting family members, service providers, or other individuals knowledgeable about the needs of the person with a disability to serve as a designated support person. Where patients with a disability are in such a setting for longer than one day, they may designate two support persons, provided only one is present at a time.
“As vulnerable populations around the state continue to be disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a priority for my office and the state to come to a resolution on allowing a support person to accompany and advocate for individuals with disabilities into our hospitals,” Governor Lamont said. “The order issued by Commissioner Gifford implements vital safeguards for individuals with special needs to ensure proper and safe care is being provided and received in a hospital setting.”
“I am pleased to have worked with the Governor’s Office, the Department of Public Health, and the HHS Office for Civil Rights to issue the DPH order that protects the rights of individuals with disabilities and facilitates a process to allow every voice, even in a hospital setting, to be heard,” Jordan A. Scheff, commissioner of the Department of Developmental Services, said.
For more information, read the press release that was issued today by the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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As of 4:00 p.m. – Tuesday, June 9th – the state is reporting a total of 44179 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 4097.
*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 9, 2020
Total patients who tested positive: 42182 confirmed/1997 probable
Fairfield County: 15405/292
Hartford County: 10206/300
Litchfield County: 1369/21
Middlesex County: 1139/35
New Haven County: 11495/144
New London County: 1059/25
Tolland County: 806/13
Windham County: 423/1
Pending address validation: 280/0