COVID-19 Updates 12/4

COVID
December 4, 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.
IMPORTANT NEWS UPDATE 
* As Waterbury continues to see an uptick in COVID19 cases *

Due to an increase and uptick in COVID-19 positivity rates, Waterbury remains on the Red alert list.
Local and National Data Updates
(Latest Data as of 4:00 PM on Friday, December 4, 2020)
 
  Confirmed Cases    Deaths    Tests Completed
Worldwide 66.1 Million 1.52 Million  
U.S. 14.7 Million 284,902 203 Million
Connecticut   127,715 5,146 3.4 Million
Waterbury 5,610 226  

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

“Friends, please stay vigilant as Governor Lamont has pointed out Connecticut is at 7% and the COVID cases are definitely ramping up. I ask that our Waterbury residents please get tested for your sake and your families. Waterbury has excellent options and choices and Healthcare providers who have done an excellent job; CHC, Trinity Health, StayWell, St. Mary's Hospital and Waterbury Hospital. Along with DOCs Urgent Care facilities, Physician One Urgent care, Wheeler Clinic, and CVS. I want to recognize CHC for their outstanding work and leadership as they’ve done a great job for our constituents. I want to thank everyone in this field who’s serve with brilliance during this pandemic!”  - State Rep. Geraldo Reyes

Weekly update of the Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 Alert Map: One hundred and sixty municipalities now in red

The Connecticut Department of Public Health released its weekly COVID-19 Alert Map, which indicates that 160 cities and towns in Connecticut are now in the red zone alert level, the highest of the state’s four alert levels. They are:

  • Andover
  • Ansonia
  • Ashford*
  • Avon
  • Barkhamsted
  • Beacon Falls
  • Berlin
  • Bethany
  • Bethel
  • Bethlehem
  • Bloomfield
  • Bozrah
  • Branford
  • Bridgeport
  • Bridgewater*
  • Bristol
  • Brookfield
  • Brooklyn
  • Burlington
  • Canterbury
  • Canton
  • Chaplin
  • Cheshire
  • Chester
  • Clinton
  • Colchester
  • Colebrook*
  • Columbia
  • Cornwall*
  • Coventry
  • Cromwell
  • Danbury
  • Darien
  • Deep River
  • Derby
  • Durham
  • East Granby
  • East Haddam
  • East Hampton
  • East Hartford
  • East Haven
  • East Lyme
  • East Windsor
  • Eastford*
  • Easton
  • Ellington
  • Enfield
  • Essex
  • Fairfield
  • Farmington
  • Franklin
  • Glastonbury
  • Goshen
  • Granby
  • Greenwich
  • Griswold
  • Groton
  • Guilford*
  • Haddam
  • Hamden
  • Hampton
  • Hartford
  • Harwinton
  • Hebron
  • Kent
  • Killingly
  • Killingworth
  • Lebanon
  • Ledyard
  • Lisbon
  • Litchfield
  • Lyme*
  • Madison
  • Manchester
  • Mansfield
  • Marlborough
  • Meriden
  • Middlebury
  • Middlefield
  • Middletown
  • Milford
  • Monroe
  • Montville
  • Morris
  • Naugatuck
  • New Britain
  • New Canaan
  • New Fairfield
  • New Hartford
  • New Haven
  • New London
  • New Milford
  • Newington
  • Newtown
  • Norfolk*
  • North Branford
  • North Canaan
  • North Haven
  • Norwalk
  • Norwich
  • Old Lyme
  • Old Saybrook
  • Orange
  • Oxford
  • Plainfield
  • Plainville
  • Plymouth
  • Pomfret*
  • Portland
  • Preston*
  • Prospect
  • Putnam
  • Redding
  • Ridgefield
  • Rocky Hill
  • Salem
  • Salisbury
  • Seymour
  • Sharon*
  • Shelton
  • Sherman
  • Simsbury
  • Somers
  • South Windsor
  • Southbury
  • Southington
  • Sprague
  • Stafford*
  • Stamford
  • Sterling
  • Stonington
  • Stratford
  • Suffield
  • Thomaston
  • Thompson
  • Tolland
  • Torrington
  • Trumbull
  • Vernon
  • Wallingford
  • Washington
  • Waterbury
  • Waterford
  • Watertown
  • West Hartford
  • West Haven
  • Westbrook
  • Weston
  • Westport
  • Wethersfield
  • Willington
  • Wilton
  • Winchester
  • Windham
  • Windsor
  • Windsor Locks
  • Wolcott
  • Woodbridge
  • Woodbury
  • Woodstock

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

The towns of Bolton and Voluntown were in the red zone last week and have been downgraded to a lower alert level 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.

PURA extends COVID-19 payment program enrollment date

Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) is reminding all customers that the enrollment period for the COVID-19 Payment Program for both residential and non-residential customers is extended through at least February 9, 2021. Further, the Winter Protection Program, which protects eligible households against head source shut-offs during the winter months, is also in effect from November 1, 2020 through May 1, 2021.

PURA encourages customers experiencing difficulty paying their utility bills to contact their utility company and ask:

  • First, whether the residential customer is eligible to be “coded hardship” and enrolled in the Winter Protection Program.
  • Second, if ineligible for hardship status or a non-residential customer, to enroll in a COVID-19 Payment Plan.
All customers with past due balances are eligible to avoid utility shut-offs by enrolling in one of the programs provided by the state-regulated water, electric and gas utilities, Operation Fuel, or the Connecticut Department of Social Services.

Importantly, no customer actively enrolled in a COVID-19 Payment Program can have their service terminated for non-payment. COVID-19 payment plans are available to any residential or non-residential customer requesting assistance, without demonstrating financial need; require no initial or down payment, can be up to 24 months in length; waive any fees or interest in the calculation of the monthly payment amount; and facilitate the repayment of the past due balances in addition to the customer’s monthly bill.

For more information, customers should contact their utility company or PURA’s Consumer Affairs office.

Weekly update to Connecticut’s travel advisory: No changes made this week

The State of Connecticut’s travel advisory – which directs incoming travelers from states and territories with a significant community spread of COVID-19 to self-quarantine for a 14-day period – is remaining the same this week as no locations are being added or removed. 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. Maine
  19. Maryland
  20. Massachusetts
  21. Michigan
  22. Minnesota
  23. Mississippi
  24. Missouri
  25. Montana
  26. Nebraska
  27. Nevada
  28. New Hampshire
  29. New Mexico
  30. North Carolina
  31. North Dakota
  32. Ohio
  33. Oklahoma
  34. Oregon
  35. Pennsylvania
  36. Puerto Rico
  37. South Carolina
  38. South Dakota
  39. Tennessee
  40. Texas
  41. Utah
  42. Vermont
  43. Virgin Islands
  44. Virginia
  45. Washington
  46. West Virginia
  47. Wisconsin
  48. Wyoming

The requirement to quarantine applies to any person traveling into Connecticut from one of the impacted locations. Impacted locations include those – other than the neighboring states of New York, New Jersey, and 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.