Connecticut COVID-19 cases may be falling but they’re not going away, and the state Legislature extended Gov. Ned Lamont’s emergency authority on Monday because of that.
The declaration, due to expire Sept. 9 under the original legislative action in March, gives Lamont authority to take public health measures to limit outbreaks.
The action occurred against a backdrop of declining but still present COVID-19 cases throughout the state.
As of Tuesday, Connecticut has 53,006 COVID-19 cases, according to Lamont, who released the figures. This includes both confirmed and probable cases, and is a 127-case increase from Monday. The state’s toll for COVID-19 associated deaths is up to 4,466, adding one more death from Monday. COVID-19 related hospitalizations also saw an uptick, increasing by four to 56.
Connecticut is in the middle of the pack in terms of cases in the United States and its territories. It ranks 25 out of 55, with the Northern Mariana Islands the lowest at 57 and California leading with 713,000.
The state’s total number of reported tests continue to skyrocket, as in just one day another 19,245 tests came in, raising Connecticut’s total to 1,190,215. The hardest-hit county in Connecticut has been Fairfield County, which leads the state with 18,204 confirmed cases and 735 probable. It also has 1,101 confirmed COVID-19 related deaths and 314 probable, to go along with 13 COVID-19 related hospitalizations.
New Haven County experienced the second-most cases, followed by Hartford County. New Haven’s case number is up to 13,266 confirmed and 445 probable, while it has 959 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and 150 probable. Hartford logged 12,870 confirmed cases and 659 probable, and has 1,104 confirmed COVID-19 related deaths and 321 probable, along with 15 hospitalizations. New Haven’s hospitalizations are just above Hartford’s at 17.
The town of Hamden, in New Haven County, has experienced its own share of cases. Hamden now has 1,071 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 40 probable. In one of the charts released by Lamont, Hamden is in the darker-shaded category, representing an area with a higher number of cases.
Effective midnight June 24, a domestic travel advisory was set in place for the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut) by the respective state’s governors and is still in full effect today. For Connecticut, the advisory states “anyone traveling into Connecticut from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents, or higher than a 10% test positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average, are directed by state health authorities to self-quarantine for a 14-day period from the time of last contact within the identified state.” The advisory also entails potential punishments and fines for violating the advisory.
As of Tuesday, Alaska and Montana join the list of states and territories required to comply with the 14-day self-quarantine when traveling into Connecticut. The list is now up to 33 and no states or territories were removed in this newest update.
Lamont encouraged Connecticut residents to sign up for CTAlert, the state’s emergency alert system, which provides text message notifications to users. To subscribe, text the keyword “COVIDCT” to 888-777.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides information on COVID-19 precautions. Visit CDC.gov to learn more.
For the most up-to-date information from Connecticut on COVID-19, residents can visit Connecticut’s official state website.