Maria Horn

The election is now behind us, though we are still waiting for the national results.  Here in the 64^th District, and throughout the country, we saw historic turnout.  According to the not-yet-official numbers posted by the Secretary of State, more than 13,700 people voted in the 64^th District, either in person on November 3, or by absentee ballot on or before that date. 

I am incredibly honored to have been re-elected to a second term by those voters, and look forward to the work ahead, which began today with a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus at which we elected Representative Matt Ritter to be the new Speaker of the House and Representative Jason Rojas to be the new Majority Leader.  I am a great admirer of both of these leaders, and look forward to working with them. 
 
I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the process behind the election earlier this week, as our state, and our region, has much to be proud of.  It was an unprecedented time in many respects, including the pandemic and a norm-shattering Presidential election.  To protect public health, we built a new system that allowed every voter to vote safely this year. We crafted legislation that allowed all voters to use absentee ballots, and then passed that legislation with broad bipartisan support. 

The Secretary of State created the architecture to flesh out that system, including sending out applications for absentee ballots to every registered voter, and getting drop boxes installed at every town hall. Our town clerks, registrars, and poll workers executed that system, in a way that created broad and nonpartisan confidence.  That system kept poll workers and in-person voters safe, and protected the integrity of our absentee ballots. 

And voters trusted that system and turned out in huge numbers. The process was orderly and peaceful, even with the longest lines I’ve ever seen in Salisbury, which persisted most of the day.
 
The process of counting the votes was methodical and transparent.  Counters and moderators were professional, reliable, and nonpartisan. And we were patient and careful in the reporting of the results.  It can be chaotic and stressful to receive and report out election results, particularly in a district that included 10 polling places, and 11 different locations where ballots were counted. Election processes are run locally, and results are sometimes reported in different formats in each town.  We had no headquarters because of public health concerns, so members of the press couldn’t get results in one location.  Even with all that emotion and adrenalin, everyone was patient and respected the process. 

And we respected the results.  As soon as the margin of victory was clear, my opponent Brian Ohler called me to concede in a gracious phone call in which he wished me well, and I thanked him for his service to our community, which will no doubt continue. 
 
All of these disparate pieces contribute to a whole which underpins our entire democracy.  It’s precious, and we ought to be proud of it. My deep thanks to all of you who were part of this process, volunteering on a campaign, working at the polls, counting ballots, or voting: all of those actions are woven together into a system  that protects us all. 
Here’s a list of today’s topics:

• Connecticut will roll back to modified Phase 2 rules beginning tomorrow (Friday, November 6). Click here.
• Access Health CT kicks off the annual open enrollment period. Click here.
• Alzheimer’s Association Event with Lime Rock Park. Click here.
• Weekly update to Connecticut’s travel advisory: Oregon and Washington added to list, no locations removed. Click here.
•  Connecticut Department of Public Health issues statewide COVID-19 advisory recommending all residents limit non-essential trips outside the home from 10PM to 5AM. Click here.
• Weekly update of the Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 Alert Map: Sixty-eight municipalities now in red. Click here.
• Weekly update on the impact of COVID-19 on nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Click here.
• Governor Lamont signs Executive Order No. 9K. Click here.

 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.”
 
Connecticut will roll back to modified Phase 2 rules beginning tomorrow (Friday, November 6)
 
With COVID-19 cases rising steadily, the state is rolling back to a modified version of Phase 2 (“Phase 2.1”) on Friday, November 6. Changes in protocol include:
 

• Restaurants will reduce to 50 percent capacity with a maximum of 8 people to a table.
• Restaurants and entertainment venues (i.e. bowling allies, movie theaters, arcades, etc.) will be required to close by 9:30 p.m., with the exception of food takeout and delivery services, which will be allowed to continue after 9:30 p.m.
• Personal services, such as hair salons and barber shops, will remain at 75 percent capacity.
• Event venues will be limited to 25 people indoor, 50 people outdoor.
• Performing arts venues and movie theaters will have a capacity of 100 people.
• Religious gatherings will be limited to 50 percent capacity or 100 people maximum.

Employers are reminded to maximize telework to the extent possible, and those over 60 and with chronic conditions are urged to remain home as much as possible.

The governor is expected to soon issue an executive order implementing Phase 2.1, and the Department of Economic and Community Development in the coming days will provide businesses with further guidance on the changes.
 
Access Health CT kicks off the annual open enrollment period 
Access Health CT (AHCT) announced that the 2021 Annual Open Enrollment period has begun. Connecticut residents can enroll or renew their health insurance plan on the marketplace from November 1 to December 15, 2020, with their coverage starting on January 1, 2021.  

Access Health CT is the state’s official health insurance marketplace, where you can shop, compare and enroll in quality healthcare plans; and it is the only place where you can qualify for financial help to lower your costs, or be eligible for free or low-cost coverage through HUSKY Health (Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Plan/CHIP).

During the last few months, AHCT has worked to improve and adapt its enrollment channels to help as many residents as possible get the coverage they need; taking all the necessary safety measures to help people enroll in or renew their health insurance plan.
Ways to get FREE help
·       Online: AccessHealthCT.com
·       Live chat: AccessHealthCT.com click “Live Chat” icon
·       Phone: 1-855-805-4325, Mon. – Fri.  8 AM - 8 PM, Sat. 9 AM-3 PM
·       With Certified Brokers or Enrollment Specialists in your community
·       At a time that works for you at a Virtual Enrollment Fair*, more information here
·       In-Person at an Enrollment Location* in Groton, Bridgeport, New Haven, New Britain, Stamford, or Hartford. For more information click here.

*IMPORTANT:
All in-person locations and Virtual Enrollment Fairs are by appointment only, and residents must wear a mask. To schedule, click here or visit Learn.AccessHealthCT.com/FindUs
Locations are subject to change. 
 
Alzheimer’s Association Event with Lime Rock Park
 In continued support of the Northwest Connecticut Walk to End Alzheimers, Lime Rock Park and Alzheimer's Association have partnered together to host a road rally. The Drive will take place on November 14th and leave Lime Rock Park promptly at 9am. It will drive through the towns of Falls Village, North Canaan, Salisbury, Lakeville, and Sharon. Key locations for drive-bys will include Noble Horizons, Sharon Health Care Center, and Sharon Hospital. November is particularly symbolic as it is National Caregiver Month.
 
People will be using their own cars which they will decorate with messages of gratitude and encouragement for caregivers and those dealing with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. Everyone will be abiding by all traffic regulations and will not require intersections to be blocked.

Cars in the procession will be observing speed limits, stopping at stop signs/lights, yielding to merging vehicles, and staying a safe distance from the car ahead.
There is a donation of $50 to participate in this drive. Go to http://act.alz.org/goto/DrivetoENDALZ to make the donation and participate.

Weekly update to Connecticut’s travel advisory: Oregon and Washington added to list, no locations removed
 
The State of Connecticut’s travel advisory – which 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 the states of Oregon and Washington on the list of impacted locations. No locations were removed from the list this week. The list is updated once per week every Tuesday.
 
For the most up-to-date information on the regional travel advisory, including an extensive list of frequently asked questions, visitct.gov/Coronavirus/travel.
 
Connecticut Department of Public Health issues statewide COVID-19 advisory recommending all residents limit non-essential trips outside the home from 10PM to 5AM
 
The Connecticut Department of Public Health today issued a statewide public health advisory urging Connecticut residents to limit any non-essential trips outside the home between the hours of 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. in order to reduce the risk of further viral transmission of COVID-19. The advisory applies to every Connecticut resident, except those who are essential workers who must leave home in order to go to their jobs, and anyone who must leave their home on an emergency basis to seek  medical care or purchase medical supplies, food, or groceries.
 
Specifically, the Public Health Advisory recommends but does not mandate that:

1. Those over age 60, and anyone with a chronic disease or obesity who are at higher risk for complications of COVID-19 take extra precautions and limit non-essential trips outside your home;
2. Employers allow work-from-home as much as possible;
3. Non-essential social or community gatherings of any size for any reason (e.g., parties, community meetings, celebrations or other social events) end by 9:30 pm or otherwise be canceled or postponed at this time;
4. Everyone maintain at least a six foot distance from those who do not live with you;
5. Everyone wear a mask whenever you leave home and wear a mask INSIDE your home if someone from outside your household is visiting;
6. Everyone clean their hands frequently using soap and water, hand sanitizer, or isopropyl alcohol wipes. Washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds works best. Avoid touching your face; and
7. Families and loved ones should limit visitation to long term care facilities.

 
This Public Health Advisory shall remain in effect until COVID-19 disease trends move in a more positive direction statewide and in accordance with future governor executive orders or commissioner orders as needed.
 
For more information, read the press release issued today by the Department of Public Health.

Weekly update of the Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 Alert Map: Sixty-eight municipalities now in red
 
The Connecticut Department of Public Health today released its weekly COVID-19 Alert Map, which indicates that 68 cities and towns in Connecticut are now in the red zone alert level, the highest of the state’s four alert levels. As with last week, the list includes North Canaan. 
 
The red zone indicates municipalities that have an average daily COVID-19 case rate over the last two weeks of greater than 15 per 100,000 population. The orange zone indicates those that have case rates between 10 to 14 cases per 100,000 population. The yellow zone indicates municipalities that have case rates between 5 and 9 per 100,000 population, and those indicated in gray have case rates lower than five per 100,000 population.
 
The weekly alert map is also accompanied by a chart that provides guidance on recommended actions based on the alert levels for individual residents; institutions such as schools, houses of worship, and community organizations; as well as municipal leaders and local health directors.
 
The Department of Public Health will be working with individual cities and towns in the higher-alert levels, including their local health departments, to provide community resources and help make community-level decisions.
 
The COVID-19 Alert Map is updated every Thursday around 4:00 p.m. and can be found in the Data Tracker page of the state’s coronavirus website at ct.gov/coronavirus.

Weekly update on the impact of COVID-19 on nursing homes and assisted living facilities
 
The following documents contain the weekly data regarding each of the nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Connecticut that have reported positive cases of COVID-19 among their residents. The data is presented as it was reported to the state by each of the facilities. If a facility is not listed, that means it is reporting that it does not have any residents who have tested positive.
 

**Download: Report from November 5, 2020 on COVID-19 in Connecticut nursing homes **Download: Report from November 5, 2020 on COVID-19 in Connecticut assisted living facilities

Governor Lamont signs Executive Order No. 9K enacting the following provisions:
 

• Repeal of municipal authority and return to statewide protective measures: Repeals Executive Order No. 9G, Section 1 and Executive Order No. 9J, Section 1.
• Return to Phase 2 limits on certain gatherings: Amends the limits on indoor religious, spiritual, or worship gatherings to no more than 50 percent of the building’s capacity or a maximum of 100 people, whichever is lower. If held outdoors, the limit is the number of people that can be accommodated safely by the venue or location, provided that all persons present wear masks, unless speaking from a designated safe location, and that a distance of six feet is maintained between all persons or groups not from the same household.
• Reduced capacity at indoor graduation ceremonies: Limits the capacity of indoor graduation ceremonies to 50 percent of the venue’s capacity or a maximum of 100 people, whichever is smaller.
• DECD authority to enact sector rules for youth sports: Authorizes the commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development to establish mandatory rules for the safe conduct of youth sports.
• DECD authority to enact sector rules governing mandatory closing times for certain businesses and other establishments: Authorizes the commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development to establish mandatory closing times for any business or establishment.
• Extension of expanded outdoor dining: Extends all currently enacted provisions related to outdoor dining through February 9, 2021.
• Extension of prohibition on sale of alcohol by certain permittees without the sale of food: Extends all currently enacted provisions prohibiting the sale of alcohol by certain permittees without the sale of food contained through February 9, 2021.
• Flexibility for school nutrition programs: Modifies certain state statutes related to school nutrition programs and enables the commissioner of the Department of Education to temporarily waive or modify any requirements related to these programs.

Providing information to Connecticut residents
 
For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, residents are encouraged to visitct.gov/coronavirus. Residents can also subscribe to text message alerts from the state by texting the keyword COVIDCT to 888-777.
 
Individuals who have general questions that are not answered on the website can call 2-1-1 for assistance. The hotline is available 24 hours a day and has multilingual assistance. Anyone who is out-of-state or requires a toll-free number can connect to Connecticut 2-1-1 by dialing 1-800-203-1234. This 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 are strongly urged to contact their medical provider.