Covid-19 Update December 14, 2020
November 10, 2020Governor Lamont announced Connecticut will roll back to Phase 2.1 rules began Friday, Nov. 6
Governor Lamont this week 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 at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, November 6.
The major changes that will occur under Phase 2.1 include:
- Restaurants will reduce to 50 percent capacity indoors 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; and
- 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 also asking people to stay home between 10pm-5am.
Weekly update of the Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 Alert Map: Sixty Eight municipalities in red
The Connecticut Department of Public Health released its weekly COVID-19 Alert Map, which indicates that 68 cities and towns in Connecticut are in the red zone.
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 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.
| **On the Web: Interactive Weekly COVID-19 Alert Map
**Download: Chart providing recommended guidance based on alert levels |
The Office of the Governor provided the following updates as of 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 5, 2020:
Data updates on testing in Connecticut
The following is a summary of the day-to-day newly reported data on cases, deaths, and tests in Connecticut.
| Overall Summary | Statewide Total | Change Since Fri, 11/6 |
| COVID-19 Cases (confirmed and probable)* | 81,463*** | +3,338 |
| COVID-19 Tests Reported (molecular and antigen)** | 2,574,371*** | +89,686 |
| Daily Test Positivity | 3.72% | |
| Patients Currently Hospitalized with COVID-19 | 496 | +94 |
| COVID-19 Associated Deaths | 4,698 | +27 |
*Includes confirmed plus probable cases; probable cases include persons with positive antigen results
**Daily test positivity is the number of new positive molecular and antigen cases divided by the number of new molecular and antigen tests reported in the past 24 hours
***Totals include 530 cases and 26,321 antigen tests conducted during August-November previously reported to the Connecticut Department of Public Health but not previously included in COVID-19 case and test counts
County-by-county breakdown:
| County | COVID-19 Cases | COVID-19 Deaths | COVID-19 Hospitalizations | ||
| Confirmed | Probable | Confirmed | Probable | ||
| Fairfield County | 25,529 | 2123 | 1,129 | 321 | 142 |
| Hartford County | 19,252 | 1157 | 1,192 | 326 | 124 |
| Litchfield County | 2,514 | 190 | 127 | 21 | 7 |
| Middlesex County | 2,219 | 116 | 159 | 39 | 8 |
| New Haven County | 18,818 | 1235 | 982 | 162 | 180 |
| New London County | 4,186 | 140 | 116 | 34 | 25 |
| Tolland County | 1,805 | 186 | 53 | 15 | 2 |
| Windham County | 1,656 | 29 | 20 | 1 | 8 |
| Pending address validation | 277 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 76,256 | 5,207 | 3,779 | 919 | 496 |
For more information visit ct.gov/coronavirus and click the link that is labeled, “COVID-19 Data Tracker.”
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 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.
For more information, read the press release issued by the Department of Public Health.
Governor Limits Private Indoor/Outdoor Gatherings to 10 People
Gov. Ned Lamont announced Thursday that all private indoor and outdoor gatherings must be capped at 10 people.
Previously, indoor gatherings had been capped at 25 attendees, while outdoors gatherings had been limited to 100 people.
Governor Lamont signs 80th executive order related to COVID-19
Executive Order No. 9L enacts the following provisions:
- Extension of COVID-19 executive orders to February 9, 2021: Extends to February 9, 2021 all previously issued executive orders related to COVID-19 that are in effect as of today.
- Extension of agency and municipality orders of concurrent duration with public health and civil preparedness emergencies: Extends to February 9, 2021 any unexpired order, rule regulation, directive, or guidance issued by any official, agency department, municipality, or entity pursuant to an unexpired COVID-19 order, unless earlier modified or terminated by the issuing authority.
| **Download: Governor Lamont’s Executive Order No. 9L |
State issues updated sports guidance, recommendations, and sector rules for the winter season
The Connecticut Department of Public Health today released updated comprehensive sports guidance incorporating sports to be played in the winter season for both interscholastic leagues, recreational, and private leagues for youth and adults.
The rules do not apply to college level or professional athletics. This revision updates comprehensive sports guidance released on September 25 and is intended to guide local health departments, municipalities, and league organizers in assessing the risk of play, and offer suggestions to reduce risk of COVID-19 infection to players, coaches, parents and spectators.
The full sports guidance document can be found online and is meant to be used as a tool to help organizers of athletic leagues for both children and adults.
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 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.
As of this week, the full list of impacted locations under the travel advisory includes:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Guam
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- 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 at ct.gov/travelform.
For the most up-to-date information on the regional travel advisory, including an extensive list of frequently asked questions, visit ct.gov/Coronavirus/travel.
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.
Sen. Hwang Covid-19 Update December 14, 2020
Weekly update of the Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 Alert Map: 163 municipalities in red
The Connecticut Department of Public Health today released its weekly COVID-19 Alert Map, which indicates that 163 cities and towns in Connecticut are now in the red zone alert level, the highest of the state’s four alert levels.
There are no cities or towns that were in the red zone last week and 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 at ct.gov/coronavirus.
The Office of the Governor provided the following updates as of 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 14, 2020:
Data updates on testing in Connecticut
The following is a summary of the day-to-day newly reported data on cases, deaths, and tests in Connecticut. It is important to note that these newly reported updates include data that occurred over the last several days to a week. All data in this report are preliminary, and data for previous dates will be updated as new reports are received and data errors are corrected.
| Overall Summary | Total | Change Since Friday |
| COVID-19 Cases (confirmed and probable) | 153,992 | +7,231 |
| COVID-19 Tests Reported (molecular and antigen) | 3,805,136 | +119,015 |
| Daily Test Positivity | — | 6.08% |
| Patients Currently Hospitalized with COVID-19 | 1,243 | +33 |
| COVID-19 Associated Deaths | 5,444 | +81 |
County-by-county breakdown of current COVID-19 hospitalizations:
| County | Current COVID-19 Hospitalizations |
| Fairfield County | 307 |
| Hartford County | 377 |
| Litchfield County | 29 |
| Middlesex County | 41 |
| New Haven County | 397 |
| New London County | 75 |
| Tolland County | 2 |
| Windham County | 15 |
| Total | 1,243 |
For a series of interactive graphs and maps that provide additional data, including metrics related to age, gender, and race/ethnicity, as well as data broken down by every town and city in Connecticut, visit ct.gov/coronavirus and click the link that is labeled, “Data Tracker.”
Insurance commissioner reminds that all insureds are eligible for no-cost COVID-19 vaccines
Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Andrew N. Mais is reminding insureds that there should be no out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 vaccines for all Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliant fully-insured plans and all self-funded plans.
“Along with all fully insured plans, employer-based plan sponsors must remove all cost-sharing for COVID-19 vaccines for their workers and their families, and anyone without insurance is also eligible for no-cost COVID-19 vaccines,” Commissioner Mais said. “I urge all grandfathered and non-ACA compliant health insurance plans to follow suit and remove financial barriers to COVID-19 vaccines for individuals, workers, and their families.”
The Connecticut Insurance Department today issued a notice to all health carries regarding the guidelines.
For more information, read the press release issued today by the Connecticut Insurance Department.
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.
As of today, the full list of impacted locations under the travel advisory includes:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Guam
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virgin Islands
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- 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 at ct.gov/travelform.
For the most up-to-date information on the regional travel advisory, including an extensive list of frequently asked questions, visit ct.gov/Coronavirus/travel.
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 December 10, 2020 on COVID-19 in Connecticut nursing homes
**Download: Report from December 10, 2020 on COVID-19 in Connecticut assisted living facilities |
Additional SNAP benefits coming December 16 to 112,000 households in Connecticut
The Connecticut Department of Social Services today announced that it will provide $16.9 million in Emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) benefits to more than half of Connecticut SNAP-eligible households on Wednesday, December 16 – adding to the $157.2 million in emergency benefits disbursed in April, May, June, July, August, September, October, and November.
Authorized by the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020, the extra food benefits will go to approximately 112,000 households not currently receiving the maximum benefits allowed for their household size. This means that all households enrolled in SNAP will receive the maximum food benefit allowable for their household size, even if they are not usually eligible for the maximum benefit.
Specifically:
- The Department of Social Services reports that approximately 112,000 of 210,279 SNAP-participating households statewide will receive the emergency benefits in December.
- With this additional $16.9 million allocation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, emergency benefits are totaling over $174.1 million in additional SNAP assistance statewide during April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December, with commensurate spending in the food economy.
- The average emergency benefit amount a household will see on its electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card on December 16 is $154.
- All participating households also received their normal SNAP benefits on the first three days of each month they normally do, according to last name.
- If a household is granted regular SNAP benefits on or after December 16 and is also eligible for the emergency supplemental benefits, the latter benefits will be added to the EBT card on a Friday, depending on the date of granting.
Emergency benefits allow the household’s SNAP benefit to increase to the maximum allotment for a household of that size as follows:
| Household Size | Maximum Benefit Amount |
| 1 | $204 |
| 2 | $374 |
| 3 | $535 |
| 4 | $680 |
| 5 | $807 |
| 6 | $969 |
| 7 | $1,071 |
| 8 | $1,224 |
For example, if a household of two normally received $274 of SNAP benefits in December, $100 would bring this household up to the maximum benefit for its size. This household will receive a $100 emergency benefit on December 16.
For additional information about SNAP, visit www.ct.gov/snap.
