COVID-19 Updates 10/16

October 16, 2020

I hope you are continuing to stay strong because we will get through this together. Here is the latest on COVID-19 data, and resources. I also am wishing Mayor O'Leary, Chief of Police Spagnolo and Congresswoman Hayes a speedy recovery and well wishes for their families from the City of Waterbury.

Local and National Data Updates
(Latest Data as of 4:00 PM on Friday, October 16, 2020)
 
  Confirmed Cases    Deaths    Tests Completed
Worldwide 39.5 Million 1.11 Million  
U.S. 8.27 Million 223,438 123.6 Million
Connecticut   62,830 4,542 1.97 Million
Waterbury 2,740 193  

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

"Waterbury has seen a small increase in COVID-19 cases, and testing has ramped up citywide. I’ve attached a list of locations and times of availability, folks please get tested and know where you stand." - State Rep. Geraldo Reyes

CHC to Expand Testing Hours

CHC Connecticut announced that they are extending the hours at their COVID testing sites. Most locations are now administering free COVID tests from 8:30 am - 4 pm. No appointment or Doctor's referral is required.

CHC Connecticut also offers flu shots. You may be eligible to receive the shot before or after your test.

I encourage you to take advantage of these free tests, especially if you are an essential worker. Frequent testing plays an important role in halting the spread of the virus. 

Click here to find a CHC testing site in Waterbury.

Additional SNAP benefits coming to 105,000 households in Connecticut on October 16

The Connecticut Department of Social Services this week announced that it will provide $16.2 million in Emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) benefits to nearly half of Connecticut’s SNAP participants TODAY. These benefits come in addition to the $119.6 million in emergency benefits disbursed in April, May, June, July, August and September.

Authorized by the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, the extra food benefits will go to approximately 105,000 households not currently receiving the maximum benefits allowed for their household size. This means that all households enrolled in SNAP will receive the maximum food benefit allowable for their household size, even if they are not usually eligible for the maximum benefit.

Specifically:

  • The Department of Social Services reports that approximately 105,000 of 216,073 SNAP-participating households statewide will receive the emergency benefits in October.
  • With this additional $16.2 million allocation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, emergency benefits are totaling over $135.8 million in additional SNAP assistance statewide during April, May, June, July, August, September, and October, with commensurate spending in the food economy.
  • The average emergency benefit amount a household will see on its electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card on October 16 is $150.
  • All participating households also received their normal SNAP benefits on the first three days of each month they normally do, according to last name.
  • If a household is granted regular SNAP benefits after October 16 and is also eligible for the emergency supplemental benefits, the latter benefits will be added to the EBT card on a Friday, depending on the date of granting.

Emergency benefits allow the household’s SNAP benefit to increase to the maximum allotment for a household of that size as follows:

Household size

Maximum benefit amount

1

$204

2

$374

3

$535

4

$680

5

$807

6

$969

7

$1,071

8

$1,224

For each additional person, add $153. For example, if a household of two normally received $274 of SNAP benefits in October, $100 would bring this household up to the maximum benefit for its size. This household will receive a $100 emergency benefit on October 16.

For additional information about SNAP, click here.

 

Weekly update to the regional travel advisory: Michigan, Ohio, and Virginia meet metrics to qualify, no 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: Michigan, Ohio, and Virginia have been added to the list of impacted locations that meet the metrics to qualify, and no states or territories were removed from the list this week.

The requirement to quarantine applies to any person traveling into Connecticut from a state with a positive case rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents, or higher than a 10 percent test positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average. It also applies to any person arriving into Connecticut from a country for which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Level 3 Travel Health Notice.

Anyone arriving to Connecticut from any of the impacted locations is required to fill out a travel health form upon their arrival. The form can be filled out online at.

The list of impacted locations is updated once per week every Tuesday. The full list of impacted locations under the travel advisory includes:

  1. Alabama
  2. Alaska
  3. Arkansas
  4. Colorado
  5. Delaware
  6. Florida
  7. Georgia
  8. Guam
  9. Idaho
  10. Illinois
  11. Indiana
  12. Iowa
  13. Kansas
  14. Kentucky
  15. Louisiana
  16. Michigan
  17. Minnesota
  18. Mississippi
  19. Missouri
  20. Montana
  21. Nebraska
  22. Nevada
  23. New Mexico
  24. North Carolina
  25. North Dakota
  26. Ohio
  27. Oklahoma
  28. Puerto Rico
  29. Rhode Island
  30. South Carolina
  31. South Dakota
  32. Tennessee
  33. Texas
  34. Utah
  35. Virginia
  36. West Virginia
  37. Wisconsin
  38. Wyoming

For the most up-to-date information on the regional travel advisory, including an extensive list of frequently asked questions.