Geraldo Reyes Jr

I hope you are continuing to stay strong because we will get through this together. Here is the latest on COVID-19 data, resources, and words of encouragement from local, national, and world leaders.

For several additional charts and tables containing more data groups, including a town-by-town breakdown of positive cases in each municipality and a breakdown of cases and deaths among age groups, click here.

Positivity for the Future

“Let’s keep a positive attitude in supporting our young children and adolescents who have returned to school. The world as we know it has been altered but we must keep our faith and continue moving forward. Remember to be kind and courteous to each other we never know what one’s going through at any given time!” - State Rep. Geraldo Reyes

Governor Lamont signed 70th executive order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19

Governor Lamont Tuesday signed another executive order – the 70th since he enacted the emergency declarations – that builds upon his efforts to encourage mitigation strategies that slow down transmission of the virus. Executive Order No. 9B enacts the following provisions:

• Amendments to mandatory self-quarantine for travelers from states with high COVID-19 levels: Modifies the state’s previously issued self-quarantine and travel advisory order for people arriving to Connecticut from impacted states, expanding the testing exemption to all travelers who test negative for COVID-19 in the 72 hours prior to arrival. This went into effect today.
• Authorization for the issuance of fines: Authorizes the commissioner of Public Health, local health departments, municipal chief elected officers, and state and local police to issue fines for violations of certain COVID-19 protective measures. These include:
  • A fine of $100 for an person who fails to wear a mask or cloth face covering as required under Executive Order No. 7NNN;
  • A fine of $500 for any person or business entity who organizes, hosts, or sponsors a gathering that violates the gathering size restrictions set forth in the DECD Rules for Gatherings and Venues and Sector Rules for Outdoor Events; and
  • A fine of $250 for any person who attends a gathering that violates the gathering size restrictions set forth in the DECD Rules for Gatherings and Venues and Sector Rules for Outdoor Events.
• Repeal of executive orders extending liquor permittee credit period: Repeals Executive Order No. 7OOO, Section 2 and Executive Order No. 7S, Section 3 effective yesterday, returning to normal statutory provisions.

Unemployment Benefits

Beginning THIS WEEK, 250,000 unemployed workers in Connecticut will be eligible to receive another $300 a week as part of the federal disaster aid program.

Existing Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claimants have already self-certified and do not need to do anything to receive the additional benefit.

New unemployment claimants and existing state and extended benefits claimants who are required to self-certify will be notified by letter or email that they are eligible and may self-certify when the program is open.

To self-certify:

• Log into your unemployment account - the account main page offers a new option in the menu “Certify for Lost Wages Assistance.”
• Once you have clicked on the button, a new screen will ask you to certify your unemployment or underemployment is due to COVID-19.
• You may then then confirm submission and complete the process.

Federal eligibility guidelines include:

• Recipients of at least $100 per week, including the dependency allowance, of any of the following benefits for the week they are seeking unemployment benefits;
• Claimants receiving unemployment compensation, including state and federal workers and former service members, as well as those receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, Extended Benefits, or High Extended Benefits;
• Claimants who are part of the Shared Work Program; and
• Workers with a Trade Readjustment Allowance.

Connecticut closes 2020 fiscal year with $38.7 million surplus

Comptroller Kevin Lembo today, in a letter to Governor Lamont, reported that the State of Connecticut has ended the 2020 fiscal year with a $38.7 million year-end surplus.

After a highly volatile year, the state’s budget reserve fund – commonly known as the rainy day fund – grew beyond its statutory cap of 15 percent of general fund expenditures. As a result, the Office of the State Treasurer must now deploy the amount in excess, as well as the full FY20 surplus, toward unfunded pension liability.

“The COVID-19 pandemic introduced tremendous financial uncertainty,” Comptroller Lembo said. “Thankfully, policies put in place a number of years ago to grow the state’s reserves are working as intended and the rainy day fund has grown to capacity. The economic consequences of the ongoing public health crisis will be with us well into the future, but thanks to prudent fiscal planning we are better prepared to face them.”

“The fiscal decisions this administration has made over the last year coupled with the policy and revenue changes from the 2017 bipartisan budget have helped Connecticut’s finances and put us on a path to where we’ve grown the rainy day fund to historic levels, leading the nation,” Office of Policy and Management Secretary Melissa McCaw said. “We know that the global pandemic is having an impact and we will continue to monitor the trends. The news that we are receiving today demonstrates we are in a strong starting position as we enter this new fiscal year with many challenges that lie ahead.”