State Capitol Update for the Week of October 12
October 15, 2020At an event in Torrington this week, a colleague told me that her doctor recently prescribed “less news” as a path to better health. He emphasized that, at times, “news” can be a toxic substance. At a time when events are coming at us thick and fast, and when a substantial amount of news seems intended to make us anxious and frightened, it’s good to be reminded to take a step back and take a deep breath. We can’t, and shouldn’t, ignore what is going on in our communities and in our country, but it’s not healthy to live in a constant state of anxiety, so shifting our perspective from time to time can help. For example, the reason I was in Torrington that morning was to present a small gesture of gratitude (fresh donuts and fruit) to the staff at Center Subaru to acknowledge their commitment to the NW CT YMCA, at a time when everyone would have understood a reduction in support given the economic climate. They chose to act generously, and we chose to bring donuts. That felt good.
Another major tonic for our health that’s on display right now is the eye-popping glory of the Northwest Corner at the peak of fall foliage season. Yes, we have to deal with some leaf-peeper “traffic” but the beauty around us, on a sunny morning, or a rainy afternoon, repairs the soul. I hope you get the chance to take a hike or a short walk, maybe with a friend or neighbor you haven’t checked in on for a while. Personally, at the end of a packed day yesterday, I used the last moments of light to make a quick hike up Lion’s Head, one of our family’s all-time favorite trails. That felt good, too.
Here’s a list of today’s topics:
- Governor Lamont signs Executive Order No. 9G giving certain municipalities ability to restrict size and capacity limits
- New Satlisbury/Sharon Transfer Station is open!
- Additional SNAP benefits coming to 105,000 households in Connecticut on October 16
- Northwest Cares Survey on community response to COVID-19
- Weekly update to the regional travel advisory: Michigan, Ohio, and Virginia meet metrics to qualify, no areas removed
- Social Security Announces 1.3% benefit increase for 2021
- Road work on Route 43 in Cornwall
- Weekly update on the impact of COVID-19 on nursing homes and assisted living facilities
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 signs Executive Order No. 9G enacting the following provisions:
- Municipal authority to revert to the more restrictive pre-October 8, 2020 size and capacity limitations and rules for certain businesses and gatherings: Permits, under certain conditions, the ability of municipal chief executives in towns and cities that have been identified by the Connecticut Department of Public Health as having a higher infection rate the option of reverting to the previously issued Phase 2 rules.
New Satlisbury/Sharon Transfer Station is open!
As of this morning, the brand-new Salisbury/Sharon Transfer Station, the product of 25 years of work and countless hours of meetings, is open for business! Manager Brian Bartram is there to welcome everyone with guidance on new rules and Barbara Bettigole had a great table set up explaining the "Yes or No" on what’s recyclable. The whole operation is a very impressive culmination of many years of work, and, it has a stunning view!
Congratulations to all of the transfer station “parents” out there.
Their website is a wealth of information: https://salisburyct.us/transferstation
And also helpful is the widget on: https://www.recyclect.com/ that allows you to type a product into the search to see if it’s recyclable.
Additional SNAP benefits coming to 105,000 households in Connecticut on October 16
The Connecticut Department of Social Services announced that it will provide $16.2 million in Emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) benefits to nearly half of Connecticut’s SNAP participants on Friday, October 16, 2020. These benefits come in addition to the $119.6 million in emergency benefits disbursed in April, May, June, July, August and September.
For additional information about SNAP, visit www.ct.gov/snap.
Northwest Cares Survey on community response to COVID-19
Northwest Cares is a group of social service organizations that serve the northwest corner of CT. They meet on a monthly basis to share information, learn about each other and work together for the betterment of the northwest corner. A subset of Northwest Cares led by Gertrude O'Sullivan at the Foundation for Community Health has been working to understand and evaluate the response to Covid-19 in our area, collecting information from agencies and organizations about how our community responded to COVID-19 related challenges.
Their survey can be found here.
The information will be used to plan focus groups, and to provide a report with suggestions for our community to strengthen its response to future challenges.
If you would like your information to remain confidential, at your request they will remove your identifying information (name, role and organization) in reporting out the results of this survey.
If you have any questions, please contact Ali Coates: alison.m.coates@gmail.com
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 ct.gov/travelform.
The list of impacted locations is updated once per week every Tuesday. As of today, 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, visitct.gov/Coronavirus/travel.
Social Security Announces 1.3% benefit increase for 2021
Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for approximately 70 million Americans will increase 1.3 percent in 2021, the Social Security Administration announced.
Social Security and SSI beneficiaries are normally notified by mail starting in early December about their new benefit amount. Most people who receive Social Security payments will be able to view their COLA notice online through their personal my Social Security account.
People may create or access their my Social Security account online at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.
The Social Security Act provides for how the COLA is calculated. To read more, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/cola.
Road work on Route 43 in Cornwall
The Connecticut Department of Transportation is announcing that a thin surface pavement treatment will be performed on Route 43 in Cornwall. The project consists of a thin surface treatment to be placed on Route 43 from Route 4 to Route 63. The work is being performed in advance of roadway resurfacing to take place in 2021.
Work is scheduled to occur on Tuesday October 27, 2020, and is scheduled to be completed on Thursday, October 29, 2020. Motorists can expect delays and one lane alternating Traffic. The regular work schedule for this project is 7:00 am to 4:00 pm.
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.
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**Download: Report from October 15, 2020 on COVID-19 in Connecticut nursing homes |
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.