In response to that, the Governor hired a consulting firm (Mathematica) to examine what went wrong (and right, at the facilities with good records) in an effort to prepare us better if we face a second wave of infection this fall.
Today the Appropriations, Human Services, and Public Health Committees held a joint Informational Forum at which we heard from Mathematica, which has prepared an interim report, which they discussed with us, and we expect the final report at the end of this month.
One critical issue the final report will examine is visitation at long-term care facilities. In March, visitation by families and friends was essentially shut down, and is currently limited to video, window, outdoor or limited compassionate care visits. There were obviously sound reasons for this, as the policy helped limit the presence of COVID-19 in these facilities, but the absence of this care is having a profound impact on the social, emotional, and physical health of our long-term care residents, some of whom don’t understand why they have been abandoned. I get heart-breaking calls and emails from constituents with loved ones they cannot visit, hug, or provide care for, nearly every day. We need to strike a better balance between those social and emotional needs, and the need to limit infection.
The presence of family and friends in long-term care facilities also provides a layer of oversight that is now missing, which is particularly problematic given Governor Lamont’s executive order in April (Executive Order 7V) granting nursing homes civil immunity for “acts or omissions undertaken in good faith while providing health care services in support of the State’s COVID-19 response”. The state’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman, joined by AARP, has now called for this to be rescinded to better protect residents of long-term care facilities.
I have lived this issue in my own family. When my father needed the help of a long-term care facility in Ohio after a stroke that left him paralyzed, my mother was there every day. Her care for him improved his mental and physical health directly, but I also remember her recounting to me that her presence changed the way he was treated by others in the facility: she was watching over him. This repeated itself when my mother needed long-term care and I was the family member watching over her. We must make sure we have the ability to hold facilities accountable, particularly at a time when it is difficult for family to see for themselves how a loved one is cared for.
Here’s a list of today’s topics:
- Governor Lamont signs Executive Order No. 9A enacting the following provisions:
- Weekly update to the regional travel advisory: Four states added, two areas removed
- Democracy 2020 Youth Film Challenge Awards on Thursday, September 10
For several additional graphs and tables containing more data, including a list of cases in every municipality, visit ct.gov/coronavirus, and click the link that is labeled, “COVID-19 Data Tracker.”
Governor Lamont signs Executive Order No. 9A enacting the following provisions:
- Reissuance and extension of COVID-19 executive orders to November 9, 2020: Renews and extends all of the unexpired executive orders that were issued under the March 10, 2020, public health and civil preparedness emergency declarations through November 9, 2020, unless an order already has a specific expiration date, in which case the specific expiration date will remain in place.
- Extension of agency and municipality orders of concurrent duration with public health and civil preparedness emergencies: Extends all unexpired orders, rules, regulations, directives, or guidance issued by any official, agency, department, municipality, or entity to continue through November 9, 2020, unless earlier modified or terminated.
Weekly update to the regional travel advisory: Four states added, two areas removed
The regional travel advisory between Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York that directs incoming travelers from states with a significant community spread of COVID-19 to self-quarantine for a 14-day period was updated today and now includes Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, and West Virginia on the list of impacted locations. Meanwhile, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have been removed from the list.
The quarantine applies to any person traveling into Connecticut from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents, or higher than a 10 percent test positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.
The list of impacted locations is updated once per week every Tuesday. As of today, the full list of impacted locations falling under the travel advisory includes:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- California
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Guam
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Mississippi
- Montana
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
Anyone seeking the most up-to-date information on the regional travel advisory, including an extensive list of frequently asked questions, is encouraged to visit the state’s coronavirus website at ct.gov/Coronavirus/travel.
Democracy 2020 Youth Film Challenge Awards on Thursday, September 10
On Thursday, September 10 from 7:00 – 8:00pm, the Civic Life Project will be screening their Democracy 2020 Film Challenge Awards, a powerful online documentary film festival in which young people will be at the forefront of showing how their voice and vote can affect change. Films look critically at 2020 issues such as climate change, immigration, gun violence, racism, voter suppression, and many more. $13,000 in prizes will be awarded, and uou will be able to view the winning documentaries, and see inspirational performances in music, dance, and spoken word. It will stream live on Civic Life’s YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. |
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Governor Lamont encourages residents to sign up for the state’s CTAlert notification system
Governor Lamont is encouraging Connecticut residents to sign up for CTAlert, the state’s emergency alert system, which provides text message notifications to users. To subscribe, text the keyword COVIDCT to 888-777.
Providing information to Connecticut residents
For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, including an FAQ and other guidance and resources, residents are encouraged to visit ct.gov/coronavirus.
Individuals who have general questions that are not answered on the website can also call 2-1-1 for assistance. The hotline is available 24 hours a day and has multilingual assistance. Relay services can be accessed by calling 7-1-1. Anyone who is out-of-state or using Relay can connect to Connecticut 2-1-1 toll free by dialing 1-800-203-1234. The hotline is intended to be used by individuals who are not experiencing symptoms but may have general questions related to COVID-19. Anyone who is experiencing symptoms is strongly urged to contact their medical provider.
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