COVID-19 Update: March 30- April 5

April 6, 2020

Here is a summary of the counts through April 5, 2020.

County Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19 Hospitalizations Laboratory-Confirmed COVID-19-Associated Deaths
Fairfield 3,050 531 96
Hartford 751 189 29
Litchfield 197 15 6
Middlesex 110 19 5
New Haven 1,162 372 36
New London 57 10 4
Tolland 94 3 11
Windham 32 3 1
Pending validation 222 0 1
Total 5,675 1,142 189

 

The governor has signed 5 additional executive orders this week.
Executive Order 7Q:

  • Requires all childcare facilities to limit group sizes to no more than 10 children in one space.
  • Requires all children and childcare staff to be checked at the entrance of childcare facilities for any observable illness, including cough or respiratory distress, and to confirm temperature below 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Eliminates all existing legal requirements to have a signature on any document witnessed by a third party, except in the case of a last will and testament.

Executive Order 7R:

  • Requires school districts to continue to employ, or restore to employment if already laid off, and pay school staff who are directly employed by the local or regional boards of education.
  • Gives the commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection the authorization to ban visitors from entering state parks and other lands under the agency’s control after the property has reached a capacity adequate to supporting implementation of social distancing policies to limit the spread of COVID-19.
  • Authorizes package stores and grocery stores to permit the sale of curbside pickup of all alcoholic beverages allowed by their permit type in any space adjacent to their permit premise and during the days and hours allowed for legal sale.

Executive Order 7S:

  • Directs all retail establishments permitted to stay open, such as grocery stores, to follow new rules including an occupancy cap at 50 percent.
    • The order went into effect on Friday, April 3. More details can be found at senatorhwang.com
  • 60-day grace period for premium payments, policy cancellations, and non-renewals of insurance policies: Beginning on April 1, 2020 for a period of 60 days, no insurer in Connecticut – including life, health, auto property, casualty, and other types – may lapse or terminate a covered insurance policy because a policyholder does not pay a premium or interest during this time. This grace period is not automatic. To be eligible, affected policyholders must provide additional information acceptable to their insurance carriers.
  • Relief from certain municipal tax deadlines and collection efforts: Requires municipalities to enact one or both of two options for providing temporary tax forbearance of property tax collection and reduced interest on delinquent tax payments to property owners under certain conditions, including that landlords agree extend commensurate forbearance to commercial, residential, or institutional tenants for the duration of the deferment.
  • Suspension of reapplication filing requirement for the homeowners’ elderly/disabled circuit breaker tax relief program and for the homeowners’ elderly/disabled freeze tax relief program: Allows recipients of this benefit to receive the benefit for the coming year without recertifying their eligibility.
  • Extension of deadline to file income and expense statement to August 15: Allows taxpayers additional time to complete their income and expense statements.
  • Suspension of non-judicial tax sales: Suspends foreclosures through non-judicial tax sales until 30 days after the end of the COVID-19 emergency.
Executive Order 7T:

  • Prohibits all hotels, motels, inns, bed and breakfasts, and short-term residential rentals (including those arrange through online hosting platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo) from renting to customers for leisure or vacation purposes. Instead, lodging at these facilities must be limited to:
    • Health care workers, first responders, and other essential workers;
    • Workers engaged in transporting critical materials to hospitals;
    • Vulnerable populations, including those who are homeless;
    • Connecticut residents who need a place to self-quarantine away from family or roommates;
    • Those receiving long-term care or specialized medical treatment;
    • Connecticut residents in need of housing as a result of property damage, such as a fire;
    • Persons unable to return home because of constraints on travel; and
    • Persons engaged in providing or servicing lodging.
  • Permits, under certain conditions, food establishments and liquor manufacturers to deliver alcoholic liquor and allows additional manufacturers to sell alcoholic liquor for pick-up and delivery. This will provide additional opportunities for these businesses to safely deliver their products directly to customers and reduce travel outside the home.
  • Suspends the notarization requirement for certifying compliance with nondiscrimination laws for applicants seeking assistance through the recently created Connecticut Recovery Bridge Loan Program for small businesses in order to ensure that applications can be completed and processed in an efficient manner.
  • Suspends the requirement that victims of domestic abuse sign an application for an order of protection under oath before a notary or attorney. Instead, the order enables them to sign an application outside the presence of a third party under the penalty of false statement.

Executive Order 7U:

  • Protects health care professionals and health care facilities, including nursing homes and field hospitals, from lawsuits for acts or omissions undertaken in good faith in support of the state’s COVID-19 response. State laws already provide similar protections for other first responders, including police, firefighters, and EMS.
  • Protects those who are uninsured and those who are insured and are treated by an out-of-network emergency services health care provider from surprise bills and other significant costs. This will ensure that individuals receiving care are not being financially burdened.

In other news this week:

ACCESS HEALTH CT
Connecticut’s health insurance marketplace is continuing to enroll uninsured residents in health plans under a new special enrollment period that was created due to the exceptional circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The special enrollment period was extended to April 17.
Anyone who enrolls between now and April 17 will have coverage that takes effect May 1.
Customers are reminded that anyone currently enrolled in qualified health plans through Access Health CT may be able to update their income and increase the amount of financial assistance for which they qualify.
To learn more about how to enroll, visit learn.accesshealthct.com.

UNEMPLOYMENT
The CT Department of Labor the estimated backlog is approximately five weeks.
To speed up the processing of their claims, unemployed residents who have not yet filed should:

  • Visit www.filectui.com
  • Click the link that says “For quicker payment of unemployment benefit, please follow these instructions”
  • Information will be provided on filing claims as a “Temporary Shutdown”
    option and provide guidance on entering a return to work date.

For residents that have already filed a claim, it is very important they they check their email (including junk and spam folders) daily for updated messages from CTDOL. Messages may include next steps or a request that claimants log back onto their claim since following these instructions will help speed up processing. For additional information read the list of Frequently Asked Questions the agency created related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

SMALL BUSINESSES AND SOLE PROPRIETORS
They can reach out directly to their banks and credit unions to apply for the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The program was recently created by Congress as part of the CARES Act to respond to the nationwide COVID-19 crisis.
Administered by the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA), the program authorizes forgivable loans to small businesses that keep all their employees on the payroll for eight weeks and can use the money for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities.
Seventy-five percent of the money must be used for payroll.  Businesses and sole proprietorships should contact their banks and credit unions directly to access the loans. They should also closely review the information and application form for borrowers on the U.S. Treasury Department’s website prior to contacting their banks and credit unions. This will help identify the documents needed to be collected and presented during the application process.

The state’s NURSING HOMES are receiving a 10 percent across-the-board increase in Medicaid payments to help meet extraordinary costs from the public health emergency.

HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS – including students and those who are retired – interested in volunteering can register online at ctresponds.ct.gov. By registering with the state database, these workers can be matched with Connecticut medical facilities in need.

The state is SEEKING VOLUNTEERS FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC who are needed for services at many different types of providers, such as food banks, deliveries to the elderly, shelters, and more.  Volunteers must be 18 or older, and should not volunteer if at risk or compromised. Those who are immunocompromised, over 60, showing symptoms of COVID-19, or live with or care for someone in any of those categories should avoid being in public, including for volunteer efforts. Those interested in volunteering should visit ct.gov/coronavirus for information on how to register.

The Department of Social Services is providing Emergency Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP) benefits to nearly half of Connecticut SNAP participants on April 9 and April 20. Authorized by the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, approximately 97,000 households enrolled in SNAP will receive the maximum food benefit allowable for their household size, even if they aren’t usually eligible for the maximum benefit. For more information visit www.ct.gov/snap.

Residents should be aware of a spike in PHISHING AND SCAMS relative to COVID-19, the 2020 Census and the anticipated federal stimulus checks.  See senatorhwang.com for best practices to prevent falling victim to a scam artist.

Remember, individuals who have general questions can call 2-1-1 for assistance or see the various recourse available at ct.gov/coronavirus.