Governor Lamont Provides Update on Connecticut’s Coronavirus Response Efforts

(HARTFORD, CT) – As the State of Connecticut continues taking actions in response to the global spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Governor Ned Lamont provided the following updates as of 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 17, 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.

County-by-county breakdown:

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.”

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.

Governor Lamont signs 71^st executive order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19

Governor Lamont last night signed another executive order – the 71^st since he enacted the emergency declarations – that builds upon his efforts to encourage mitigation strategies that slow down transmission of the virus. Executive Order No. 9C enacts the following provisions:

• Amendments to mandatory self-quarantine for travelers from states with high COVID-19 levels: Makes technical corrections to the updated travel advisory the governor issued earlier this week in Executive Order No. 9B that goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, September 18, 2020.
• Resumption of non-judicial tax sales pursuant to Executive Order No. 7S and 7CC: Permits municipalities, districts, and water pollution control authorities to resume non-judicial tax sales.

Connecticut closes 2020 fiscal year with $38.7 million surplus

Comptroller Kevin Lembo today, in a letter to Governor Lamont, reported that the State of Connecticut has ended the 2020 fiscal year with a $38.7 million year-end surplus.

After a highly volatile year, the state’s budget reserve fund – commonly known as the rainy day fund – grew beyond its statutory cap of 15 percent of general fund expenditures. As a result, the Office of the State Treasurer must now deploy the amount in excess, as well as the full FY20 surplus, toward unfunded pension liability.

“The COVID-19 pandemic introduced tremendous financial uncertainty,” Comptroller Lembo said. “Thankfully, policies put in place a number of years ago to grow the state’s reserves are working as intended and the rainy day fund has grown to capacity. The economic consequences of the ongoing public health crisis will be with us well into the future, but thanks to prudent fiscal planning we are better prepared to face them.”

“The fiscal decisions this administration has made over the last year coupled with the policy and revenue changes from the 2017 bipartisan budget have helped Connecticut’s finances and put us on a path to where we’ve grown the rainy day fund to historic levels, leading the nation,” Office of Policy and Management Secretary Melissa McCaw said. “We know that the global pandemic is having an impact and we will continue to monitor the trends. The news that we are receiving today demonstrates we are in a strong starting position as we enter this new fiscal year with many challenges that lie ahead.”

Providing information to Connecticut residents

For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, residents are encouraged to visit ct.gov/coronavirus. Residents can also subscribe to text message alerts from the state by texting the keyword COVIDCT to 888-777.

Individuals who have general questions that are not answered on the website can call 2-1-1 for assistance. The hotline is available 24 hours a day and has multilingual assistance. Anyone who is out-of-state or requires a toll-free number can connect to Connecticut 2-1-1 by dialing 1-800-203-1234. This 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 are strongly urged to contact their medical provider.