223 COVID-19 Cases Reported; 5th Resident Dies
HARTFORD, CT – As of Saturday evening, a total of 223 Connecticut residents had tested positive for COVID-19, 43 were hospitalized, and five individuals had died, according to Gov. Ned Lamont.
More than 3,100 tests had been conducted in the state since testing began.
The state’s fifth COVID-19 fatality was a man in his 80s who died from complications from coronavirus, according to the Lamont administration. The man was a resident of a nursing home in Stafford Springs and had been receiving treatment at Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford.
At least 100 entities have come forward to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) following Lamont’s call for donations. The hospitals have been running low and the state has had trouble sourcing PPE on its own.
Lamont also signed a new executive order Saturday that:
• Suspends the requirement for people who are receiving public assistance to re-apply every 12 to 24 months.
• Suspends co-payment requirements for dually eligible Medicare Part D beneficiaries and HUSKY B clients.
• Limits visitation opportunities with children who are under the care of the Department of Children and Families.
• Suspends the in-person requirement for shareholder meetings.
Late Friday, Lamont also decided to postpone the April 15 personal income tax deadline until July 15.
The executive order he signed Saturday also offers further help to Connecticut’s municipalities by suspending the requirement for in-person budget adoption, and also extending municipal deadlines for planning, assessment, and taxation.
Saturday’s order also extends new reporting requirements on properties.
“Towns have been very nervous about heading into the new fiscal year without a budget,” said Elizabeth Gara, executive director of the Connecticut Council of Small Towns. “Clearly, protecting the health and safety of the public is our towns’ number one concern right now. But towns also need to be positioned to get their communities back on track once the pandemic is over. Having a budget in place will allow towns to do that.”
Gara said attending town meetings at this moment is a huge health risk.
“We are confident that towns will be very mindful of the need to ensure that the public has the opportunity to view and comment on the proposed budget, even if they can’t attend the town meeting or vote at the polls,” Gara said.
The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities also expressed strong support for the executive order.
“CCM worked very hard and closely with the governor and his staff on eight key procedural relief mechanisms for municipalities to protect transparency and public engagement, while not jeopardizing public health and safety,” according to a statement from the organization.
Friday’s “stay safe, stay home” executive order restricts all non-essential business from opening starting Monday at 8 p.m. More information on what constitutes an “essential business” is available here.
