Geraldo Reyes Jr

Due to an increase and uptick in COVID-19 positivity rates, Waterbury remains on the Red alert list.

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

"The country is in middle of political transformation and in midst of chaos and troublesome days. We’re encouraging the people to be cautious about their health and scenarios one places themselves in! Be totally aware of your surroundings and wear your mask." - State Rep. Geraldo Reyes

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 yesterday 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. They are:

• Ansonia
• Berlin*
• Bethel*
• Bethlehem*
• Bozrah*
• Bridgeport
• Bristol*
• Brookfield*
• Brooklyn*
• Chaplin*
• Clinton*
• Danbury
• Derby*
• East Granby*
• East Hampton*
• East Hartford
• East Haven*
• East Windsor*
• Ellington
• Franklin
• Griswold
• Groton
• Hamden*
• Hampton*
• Hartford
• Killingly
• Ledyard*
• Meriden*
• Middlebury
• Middlefield
• Middletown*
• Monroe*
• Montville
• Naugatuck*
• New Britain
• New Haven*
• New London
• Newington*
• North Branford*
• North Canaan
• North Haven*
• North Stonington*
• Norwalk
• Norwich
• Plainfield
• Plainville*
• Plymouth*
• Prospect*
• Putnam*
• Seymour*
• Shelton*
• Southington*
• Sprague
• Stamford
• Stratford*
• Thomaston*
• Tolland*
• Wallingford*
• Waterbury
• Waterford
• Watertown
• West Haven*
• Wethersfield*
• Windham
• Windsor*
• Wolcott
• Woodbridge*
• Woodbury*

*Newly added to the red-level alert list this week

The towns of Canterbury, Cromwell, Lisbon, and Old Saybrook were in the red zone last week and have been downgraded to the orange zone this week.

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.

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 yesterday 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 yesterday by the Department of Public Health.

Governor Lamont announces Connecticut will roll back to Phase 2.1 rules beginning Today

Governor Lamont Monday announced that due to the steadily increasing rate of COVID-19 in Connecticut, he is ordering the entire state to roll back to Phase 2.1 rules – a slightly modified version of the previously enacted Phase 2 rules – effective TODAY.

The major changes that will occur under Phase 2.1 include:

• Restaurants will reduce to 50 percent capacity with a maximum of 8 people limited 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

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 this week 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.

The full list of impacted locations under the travel advisory includes:

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

The requirement to quarantine applies to any person traveling into Connecticut from one of the impacted locations. Impacted locations include states – other than New York, New Jersey, or Rhode Island – that have 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, and countries 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 complete a travel health form upon their arrival. The form can be filled out online.

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