Update: May 10 6:15 p.m. – State Response to Coronavirus

Friends and Neighbors,

In press releases, Governor Lamont announced updated virus totals and other measures regarding the Covid-19 pandemic.

Governor Lamont: State and Nonprofit Partners Expand Volunteer Recruitment Efforts for COVID-19 Response

To Date, More Than 5,000 Medical Volunteers and 1,600 Non-Medical Volunteers Have Provided Assistance

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today said that the State of Connecticut and its nonprofit partners are continuing to seek volunteers willing to help communities respond to the COVID-10 crisis. The state’s volunteer recruitment effort is being expanded to bolster the ranks of volunteers needed at nonprofits that offer support to children and adults in programs for intellectual disabilities and behavioral health settings, as well as organizations that support senior citizens.

To date, more than 5,000 medical volunteers and 1,600 non-medical volunteers have come forward to assist Connecticut’s hospitals and health systems, and also provide support to nonprofits that provide essential human services. Volunteers have helped distribute food with food banks, provided support for those experiencing homelessness in shelters across the state, and delivered meals to homebound senior citizens in communities across Connecticut.

Governor Lamont said that he is grateful for everyone who has stepped up to volunteer their assistance. He also expressed his gratitude to the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD), which has made the Disaster Assistance Response Technology database available to help manage the statewide volunteer recruitment effort for this emergency.

How to volunteer:

• Anyone interested in volunteering to help their communities in this effort can sign up by visiting gov/coronavirus and clicking the “Volunteers” link. Those interested will be matched with a community provider in need based on their personal interests and abilities.
• Volunteers must be 18 or older, and should not volunteer if at risk or compromised. Those who are immunocompromised, over 60, showing symptoms of COVID-19, or live with or care for someone in any of those categories should avoid being in public, including for volunteer efforts. Please stay safe, stay home.
• Volunteers do not need to be health care workers. In addition to calling on physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals who may be retired, the state needs community members to help out at food banks, food deliveries to the elderly, and at shelters in a number of ways.
• For those who do have a background in health care, the state’s medical community has specific needs at this time. Hospitals have advised the state that they have a high need for critical care nurses and respiratory therapists.
• Every effort is being made to keep volunteers safe. The state and all of the organizations involved are working hard to make sure that everyone helping out can do so as safely as possible. If any volunteers have concerns, they are strongly urged to ask about the safety protocols of the organization they are volunteering.
• Volunteers will be sent where they are most needed and feel most comfortable. The volunteer process is centralized so that the state and participating organizations have a clear picture of everyone who can help, and everything that is needed. That way, volunteers can be matched with an opportunity that is most in need of that person’s skillset.

More information can be found here: https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases/2020/05-2020/Governor-Lamont-State-and-Nonprofit-Partners-Expand-Volunteer-Recruitment-Efforts

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Governor Lamont Announces Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group to Hold Education Roundtable Monday at 11AM

Members of the Public Encouraged to Submit Questions Related to School Reopening

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that members of the Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group will hold a roundtable discussion on Monday, May 11, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the state’s education system and its ability to reopen.

Members of the public who have questions for the group regarding the impact of COVID-19 on schools can email their inquiries to reopen@ct.gov. The discussion will be broadcast live by the Connecticut Network (CT-N) and available to watch on its cable television channel and through a live stream on CT-N.com.

Those participating in the roundtable will include:

• Moderator: Mark Ojakian, President of Connecticut State Colleges and Universities
• Dr. Joanne Berger-Sweeney, President, Trinity College (CCIC Chair)
• Beth Bye, Early Childhood Commissioner
• Miguel Cardona, Education Commissioner
• Dr. Matt Cartter, Department of Public Health State Epidemiologist
• Jan Hochadel, President of AFT Connecticut
• Thomas Katsouleas, President of UConn
• Rick Levin, Former President of Yale
• Glenn Lungarini, Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference
• Fran Rabinowitz, Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents
• Rob Rader, Connecticut Association of Boards of Education
• Don Williams, Executive Director of CEA

The Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group is a panel of local health, business, workforce, and education experts who are consulting with the Lamont administration and legislative leadership on the reopening of Connecticut’s economy and education system as the nation emerges from the unprecedented public health emergency caused by COVID-19. The group is providing Governor Lamont with recommendations, which the governor is using to inform his decisions on the reopening of the state.

More information can be found here: https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases/2020/05-2020/Governor-Lamont-Announces-Reopen-Connecticut-Advisory-Group-to-Hold-Education-Roundtable

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As of 4:00 p.m. tonight – Sunday, May 10^th – the state is reporting a total of 33554 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 2967.

*For public health surveillance, COVID-19-associated deaths include persons who tested positive for COVID-19 around the time of death (confirmed) and persons whose death certificate lists COVID-19 disease as a cause of death or a significant condition contributing to death (probable).

Latest COVID-19 Testing Data in Connecticut

Updated 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 10, 2020

Total patients who tested positive: 33554

Fairfield County: 13236

Hartford County: 7263

Litchfield County: 1153

Middlesex County: 798

New Haven County: 9209

New London County: 782

Tolland County: 543

Windham County: 270

Pending address validation: 300