As of Thursday, April 2, there are 3,824 positive COVID-19 cases in Connecticut, with 112 deaths and 827 people hospitalized. This is up from the 3,557 Connecticut residents who tested positive, the 85 who died, and the 766 hospitalized as of Wednesday. Thursday’s numbers were 267 positive cases, 27 dead, and 61 hospitalized.

For a town-by-town breakdown and other COVID-19 statistics, please visit: https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus

Coronavirus Scams

The IRS has issued an alert to taxpayers that an increased number of individuals are attempting to conduct scams about COVID-19, which could lead to tax-related fraud and identity theft. IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said the IRS will not call anyone asking for financial information or verifications to receive economic impact payments or tax refunds faster, which further applies to emails appearing to come from the IRS. Do not open or click attachments or links; go to IRS.gov for up-to-date information.

Emails, text messages, websites and social media posts asking for or requesting money or personal information should all be ignored or reported to the IRS as they will likely be fraudulent. In most cases, the IRS will deposit economic impact payments into the direct deposit account taxpayers previously provided on tax returns. Taxpayers who previously filed but did not provide direct deposit information to the IRS will be able to publish that information on an IRS.gov online portal in mid-April. The IRS will otherwise mail a check to an individual’s address on file. Retirees who normally don’t have requirements to file tax returns do not need to take action to receive their economic impact payment. Retirees will receive their payments automatically.

The IRS reported scammers may:

  • Emphasize the words “stimulus check” or “stimulus payment,” while the correct term is economic impact payment.
  • Ask a taxpayer to sign their check over to them.
  • Ask for personal or banking information to “speed up” an economic impact payment.
  • Suggest a tax refund or economic impact payment could be received faster by working on a taxpayer’s behalf.
  • Mail the taxpayer a false check, then tell them to verify information over the phone or online to cash it.

If you receive unsolicited contact from someone claiming to be from the IRS, please forward information to phishing@irs.gov and be sure not to engage with that person.

Access Health CT Extends New Special Enrollment Period For The Uninsured

The Access Health CT New Special Enrollment Period has been extended through Friday, April 17, 2020 for uninsured Connecticut residents to enroll in a health insurance plan.

The only way to sign up for this New Special Enrollment Period is by calling 1-855-365-2428.

Individuals who experience a Qualifying Life Event, such as loss of coverage due to job change or job loss, can ALWAYS enroll online and all help is free.

Customers that are recently unemployed and lost health insurance due to job loss, need to verify information or have questions about IRS 1095 tax forms, can visit AccessHealthCT.com for faster service.

District Wide Food Distribution Organizations

The following organizations provide food distribution. A schedule of food availability through mid-April can be found at this link. Each organization has separate requirements and times for those seeking food; please call before visiting a location.

East Hartford Food Distribution
St. Rose Church Food Pantry, 33 Church St., 860-289-7916
St. Isaac Ghanian Food Bank, 1 Community St., 860-290-1880
St. Mary’s Church Food Pantry, 30 Maplewood Ave., 860-289-7916
First Congregational Church of East Hartford Food Pantry, 837 Main St., 860-528-3133
South Congregational St. Edmunds Church Food Pantry, 1301 Forbes St., 860-568-5150
Charity SDA Church Food Pantry, 1535 Forbes St., 860-568-5866
Free Bread from Agape Fellowship, 464 Tolland Street, bread and baked goods
The Bridge, 400 Chapel Road Unit 1J, 860-372-4141 – by appointment only
Community Meals – Takeout Only
Friendship Center, 12 Rector Street, 860-528-5605
New Covenant United Church Methodist Church, 16 Church St., 860-528-2228
Commodity Supplemental Food Program
Monthly food boxes for low-income seniors by appointment, 860-528-2228
Mobile Foodshare
Please visit www.foodshare.org/mobile for a full schedule and up-to-date information amid possible changes due to COVID-19

Ellington Food Distribution
The town has a non-perishable food bank located in the Human Services Department at 31 Arbor Way. Residents in need can receive monthly distributions and are asked to provide proof of residency, income and assets. The food bank is open by appointment only and operates during town business hours. Please call 860-870-3128.
Crystal Lake Food Pantry is run out of the United Methodist Church of Crystal Lake community room providing food to families in Ellington, Stafford and the surrounding region. It is located at 278 Sandy Beach Road; please email clfpellington@gmail.com for more information.
Grandma’s Free Pantry is a “take what you need, leave what you can” food pantry open to the public in front of Ellington Human Services at 21 Arbor Way.

East Windsor Food Distribution
The Five Corner Cupboard Food Pantry at 140 Phelps Road is still operating amid the COVID-19 outbreak, though it plans to evaluate that week to week. It accepts donations Mondays from 8 a.m. to noon and Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with several dropboxes for non-perishables available around town. Please call 860-758-7763 for guidance on how to receive food assistance.

South Windsor Food Distribution
The town operates a food pantry through its Human Services Department at 150 Nevers Road for details. Please call 860-648-6361 for more information.
The Bridge Pantry at 400 Chapel Road Unit 1J offers food distribution in the community. Please call 860-372-4141 for more details.

New Store Safety Rules Effective Friday, April 3

Under new guidelines issued by the state, upon opening for businesses on April 3, every retail establishment in Connecticut is required to take additional protective measures to reduce the risk of transmission of the COVID-19 virus between and among customers, employees, and other persons such as delivery drivers and maintenance people.
The new rules are:

  • Occupancy is capped at 50% of actual store capacity. At entrances, staff will maintain a count of the number of customers entering and exiting stores.
  • Clearly mark six-foot spacing in lines on floor at checkout lines and other high-traffic areas and, as much as practicable, provide ways to encourage six feet of social distance spacing in lines outside the store.
  • Post conspicuous signage and floor markings to direct customers and limit bottlenecks and/or encourage spacing and flow in high-density areas.
  • Have one-way traffic aisles in stores where practicable to maximize spacing between customers. Identify the one-way aisles with conspicuous signage and/or floor markings.
  • Maximize space between customers and employees at checkout lines, including, but not limited to, only using every other checkout line, where and when possible.
  • Install Plexiglas shields to separate employees from customers at checkout lines and other areas in the store where practicable.
  • Communicate with customers that there should only be one person per household during shopping trips, whenever possible.
  • Discontinue all self-serve foods (i.e. salad bar, hot foods bar) and product sampling.
  • Allow “touchless” credit card transactions. If not possible, sanitize credit card machines (including pen) regularly and consistently.
  • Cart and basket handles should be sanitized between uses by staff.
  • Wherever possible, employees will wear gloves and face masks at all times that they are interacting with customers and/or handling products.

Insurance Premium Grace Period

The state has ordered that 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 doesn’t pay a premium or interest during this time.
This grace period is not automatic, however. To be eligible, affected policyholders must provide additional information acceptable to their insurance carriers.

Latest Executive Order

Governor Lamont’s latest executive order is focused on education and addresses other topics and ensures the following:

  • Boards of Education will continue to be funded by the State Department of Education through ECS grants, payments for special education and Choice programming, among other steps. Municipalities must also continue providing funding to local boards of education as set forth in approved annual school budgets.
  • Public school staff must continue to be employed; those laid off must be restored to employment; and school staff directly employed by local or regional boards of education must continue to be paid.
  • Boards of education and municipalities must negotiate amendments to contracts related to student and special education services with the intention of compensating active employees, sustaining continued service when school resumes, and requiring contracted companies to attest they are charging actual costs to sustain pay and benefits for active employees.
  • The commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection can ban visitors from state parks and other lands after a property reaches maximum capacity for social distancing policies to remain in effect.
  • Package and grocery stores are permitted to sell alcoholic beverages in curbside pickup form.

4-CT Charitable Organization

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues, it is becoming clear the pandemic has impacted nearly every aspect of life across our state and beyond. This week, a group of state philanthropists created the Connecticut COVID-19 Charity Connection, otherwise known as 4-CT, an independent nonprofit organization seeking to bolster frontline providers serving areas impacted by the crisis. This group will provide financial support to ensure services are able to meet increased demand. The charity has already raised $10 million and hopes to expand that effort significantly to support Connecticut nonprofits. For more information, visit www.4-ct.org.