Maria Horn

This week the Governor announced plans to loosen economic restrictions, moving to Phase 3 of the state’s re-opening on October 8.  The details for the easing of restrictions are detailed further in the newsletter, but they apply to both businesses and private gatherings.  When Phase 3 takes effect, 99% of the state’s economy will be open.  That does not mean we will be operating at full capacity, however: we will need to continue building consumer confidence to fill in the gap.  This step comes after a pause in the re-opening process this summer, when nationwide public health metrics were moving in the wrong direction, and as we were preparing to re-open our schools.  Now that in-person learning has resumed throughout the state at elementary and secondary schools, and on college campuses, and we have three months of experience with indoor dining under our belt, with only a modest uptick in the public health metrics, the state is ready to resume re-opening.  It’s important to note that those strong public health numbers are a direct result of the fact that we have been disciplined in observing sector rules, wearing masks, observing social distancing, and washing our hands frequently.  Our collective actions are paying off.
 
This positive momentum is also reflected in a loosening of restrictions on nursing home visits, with new protocols to include indoor visits for  COVID negative residents, at facilities not experiencing an outbreak. (See more information below.) 
 
Finally, today the governor officially called the legislature into special session beginning September 29.  The “call” (detailed more fully below) defines (and restricts) what issues the legislature can consider during the special session, and was the subject of lengthy negotiations between the Governor’s office and the leadership of the Connecticut General Assembly.  I’m pleased to see that it contains several of the bills I’ve described in previous newsletters, including a bill establishing a performance-based regulation to hold our electric, gas, and water companies accountable for the critical services they provide to ratepayers, and one that would reform the Transfer Act to increase environmental remediation and economic development.  As the details of the bills become available, I will share them.  
 
Upcoming events:

• Thursday, October 1 at 6:00pm: FB Live “Salisbury Conversation” with First Selectman Curtis Rand
• Wednesday, October 7 at 6:00pm: FB Live “Norfolk Conversation” with First Selectman Matt Riiska

Here’s a list of today’s topics:

•  Governor Lamont calls the Connecticut General Assembly to convene in special session beginning Tuesday, September 29
• Governor Lamont announces Connecticut will move toward Phase 3 re-opening on October 8
• Changes to nursing home visitation
• Department of Public Health announces start of influenza vaccination clinics in Connecticut
• Department of Public Health (DPH) releases comprehensive guidance and recommendations for all organized sports 
• Start of construction for railroad-highway grade crossing improvements at Routes 7 and 44 (Main Street) in North Canaan

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 calls the Connecticut General Assembly to convene in special session beginning Tuesday, September 29
Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is calling the Connecticut General Assembly to convene in special session beginning Tuesday, September 29, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. to consider legislation on several timely policy issues, as well as consideration of the four judicial nominations he announced in July.
The governor’s special session call includes the consideration of legislation on the following policy areas:

1. Establishing a performance-based regulation to hold the state’s electricity, gas, and water companies accountable for the critical services they provide to customers;
2. Ensuring local officials may administer absentee ballots in a secure and orderly manner during the November 2020 general election;
3. Authorizing school construction projects;
4. Updating the state’s Transfer Act;
5. Aligning Connecticut’s hemp program with federal law and providing opportunities for hemp growers and manufacturers in the state;
6. Updating the state’s environmental justice law to require public notice and community benefit agreements in certain circumstances;
7. Providing greater protection for employees in occupations engaged in construction on certain non-residential building, heavy, or highway works projects in Connecticut;
8. Permitting homeowners’ associations to obtain loans through the Supplemental Collapsing Foundation Loan Program;
9. Permitting some late property tax exemptions to be filed with towns; and
10. Clarifying the ability of state marshals to recover costs for searching records of the Department of Motor Vehicles.

**Download: Governor Lamont’s proclamation calling the General Assembly into special session for several policy issues
**Download: Governor Lamont’s proclamation calling the General Assembly into special session for judicial nominations

 

Governor Lamont announces Connecticut will move toward Phase 3 re-opening on October 8

Governor Lamont announced details for plans to move Connecticut into Phase 3 of the state’s reopening amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The plan, which is targeted to take effect on Thursday, October 8, 2020, will ease some of the restrictions that were put into place on businesses and gatherings, while ensuring that the state continues taking a safe approach to limit spread of the virus.
 
Business changes in Phase 3 will include:
 

• Increase from 50 percent to 75 percent capacity indoors – subject to COVID-19 safety requirements – for restaurants, personal services, hair salons, barber shops, and libraries;
• Outdoor event venues (e.g. amphitheaters, race tracks, etc.) will increase from 25 percent to 50 percent capacity with masks and social distancing requirements;
• Indoor performing arts venues will be able to open at 50 percent capacity with masks and social distancing requirements; and
• Bars and nightclubs will continue to remain closed.

More information about Connecticut's reopening plan, as well as guidance for residents, businesses, schools, and government, is available on the state's COVID-19 web site, here.  Individuals can also visit the CT Reopening Center at reopen.ct.gov, to learn more about how the state is developing reopening guidelines.

 
Changes to nursing home visitation
 
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have issued new nursing home visitation orders that affect all nursing homes throughout the country, including in Connecticut. The new CMS orders are very much in line with what our state had been progressively implementing, but the good news is that CMS has now expanded the visitation to include indoor visitation for COVID negative residents, as long as the nursing home does not have an outbreak of the virus. (In this context, an outbreak is considered to be one positive test result of either staff or resident.)
 
The indoor visiting will still be limited to the extent that the number of visitors in the building at one time and the number of visitors per resident must be limited. Since the majority of the visitation will occur in a visiting area, the visits will need to be scheduled. There are also other rules and restrictions outlined in the CMS order that must be implemented for all visitation. Testing of the visitors is not mandated by CMS, but is encouraged by CMS in certain situations.
  
We anticipate further guidance on the implementation to be forthcoming from DPH shortly.
 
 
Department of Public Health announces start of influenza vaccination clinics in Connecticut
 
The Connecticut Department of Public Health announced the start of influenza vaccination clinics in Connecticut for the coming flu season and is encouraging people in the state to get vaccinated for the flu as soon as possible.
 
This is coupled with a message from the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that residents “mask up, lather up and sleeve up” this fall. Wearing a mask, cleaning hands often, and getting a flu shot early are key to staying protected from the flu and COVID-19 in the coming months. Flu vaccination contains no direct protection against COVID-19, but can significantly lessen flu symptoms. Severe influenza illness can leave the immune system vulnerable to dangerous viral infections such as COVID-19.
  
The Department of Public Health strongly encourages all Connecticut residents to make plans to get a flu vaccine before flu viruses begin spreading in communities. The CDC recommends that both adults and children get vaccinated against influenza. It is also important to vaccinate children as part of keeping schools safe and healthy and preventing spread of flu to adults. It takes about two weeks after vaccination to develop protection in the body against the flu.
 
For a listing of local health department clinics, click here. If the local health department in your area does not have flu vaccine, check with health care providers or pharmacies to see if the flu vaccine is available. To find a nearby pharmacy, visit the HealthMap Vaccine Finder at vaccinefinder.org or visit Medfinder at medfinder.org.
 
In the 2019-2020 flu season, the Connecticut Department of Public Health reported a total of 3,013 persons hospitalized due to flu complications and 79 flu-associated deaths, including one pediatric death. Every flu season is different, and influenza can affect people differently. Each year in the U.S., millions of people get sick from the flu, hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized, and thousands of people die from influenza or influenza related causes. An annual flu vaccine is the best way to help protect against influenza disease.
 
 
Department of Public Health (DPH) releases comprehensive guidance and recommendations for all organized sports
 
The Department of Public Health (DPH) released comprehensive guidance and recommendations for organized sports, including youth and adult club and private league play.  DPH had previously released guidance to scholastic athletic leagues in Connecticut concerning fall sports.  The guidance is intended to guide local health departments, municipalities and league organizers in assessing the risk of play, and will be re-visited later in the Fall or early Winter as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses.  This guidance is based on a risk assessment for COVID-19 conducted by the National Federation of High School Associations, a national organization governing high school athletics.  The guidance includes a description of the risk categories for sports, breaks down the risks of different activity associated with those sports, and makes recommendations for each of those activities.
 
 
Start of construction for railroad-highway grade crossing improvements at Routes 7 and 44 (Main Street) in North Canaan 
 
The Connecticut Department of Transportation is announcing the start of roadway construction activities for railroad crossing improvements at Routes 7 and 44 (Main Street) in North Canaan. Work activity will begin the week of September 28, 2020.
Beginning on Monday September 28, 2020, alternating one-way traffic can be expected for the start of roadway construction.The contractor will not interfere with traffic Monday through Friday between 6:00 AM and 9:00 AM, and between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM.
The project is scheduled to be completed by July 8, 2021. For further information, see www.ct.gov/dot

 
 
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.