As of today, Monday, May 4, there were 30,173 positive cases of COVID-19 in Connecticut, another 886 cases just since yesterday – more evidence that people are still catching and testing positive for this virus every day. 2,556 Connecticut residents have died of COVID-19 complications, another 61 state residents passing since yesterday.  Fortunately, the number of hospitalized patients continues to decline: there were 1,464 hospitalized today, 24 fewer than yesterday. There have been 105,330 COVID-19 tests administered in Connecticut, including 2,837 just yesterday. This is less than half of the 6,000 tests every day we would like to see before Connecticut reopens businesses and other sites.

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

Virtual Town Hall on Food Insecurity

Tomorrow, May 5 at 1 p.m., I will join several state colleagues including Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Social Services Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford and Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt to discuss food insecurity in a virtual town hall on the online livestreaming platform Zoom. With the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic harming many Connecticut residents, we will discuss local food banks and other food assistance options, as well as the available resources now and program changes made in response to the pandemic. You can register online here – we hope to make a recording of the event available to the public.

Business Survey
With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to impact our region, I am interested in learning more from affected businesses about how they plan to meet upcoming challenges and their outlook for the near future. If you can, please fill out this short Google survey with your thoughts. I will take your opinions and concerns with me in my future work, including my upcoming Facebook Live with Gwendolyn Thames, Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, on May 12. You can access the survey here.

Multi-state Effort to Secure PPE
Governor Lamont and the governors of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,  Pennsylvania and Delaware have announced a joint multi-state agreement to develop a regional supply chain for personal protective equipment, other medical equipment and testing.

While the states will continue to partner with the federal government during this global and national public health crisis, they will also work together to identify the entire region’s needs for these products, aggregate demand among the states, reduce costs and stabilize the supply chain.

The states will also coordinate policies regarding the inventory of PPE each state’s health care infrastructure should have to be prepared for a possible second wave of COVID-19. The states will also coordinate policies on what supplies local governments should have on hand for their first responders, and if any requirements regarding PPE for the nonprofit and private sector are needed.

The states will then seek to identify suppliers within the country, region or state who can scale to meet the demand of the entire region over the next three months. The goal of this approach is to decrease the potential for disruptions in the supply chain for PPE and medical equipment, including sanitizer and ventilators, and testing, and promote regional economic development.

“With global supply chains continuing to experience a major disruption due to the pandemic, combining the efforts of our states into a regional purchasing initiative will help our states obtain needed PPE and other medical equipment without competing against each other,” Governor Lamont said Sunday.

Free Online Learning Licenses
Governor Lamont today announced the statewide expansion of a program that will make free online learning licenses available to recipients of unemployment insurance, including those who have been impacted by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 public health crisis.

The “SkillUp CT” program will significantly expand access to comprehensive online course work from a leading global provider for thousands of Connecticut residents. Originally launched in eastern Connecticut, a sustained rollout of the program across the state over the coming weeks will enable recently laid-off workers to upgrade their skills and earn industry-recognized certifications even while the doors to most brick-and mortar education and training providers remain closed.

The program is coordinated by the Connecticut Workforce Development Council in collaboration with the Connecticut Governor’s Workforce Council and the Connecticut Department of Labor. Based on a successful model implemented by the Eastern Connecticut Workforce Investment Board, it is being offered through Connecticut’s five regional workforce development boards.

Eligible Connecticut residents will receive email instructions on obtaining a Metrix Learning license that provides them access to about 5,000 online Skillsoft courses in areas such as information technology, business analysis, customer service, project management, and digital literacy, among others. Anyone with an internet connection and a computer can access courses. SkillUp CT also offers training tracks leading to over 100 industry certifications and will provide career coaching through the workforce boards.

To enroll in SkillUp CT, unemployment insurance claimants in Connecticut should visit: www.ct.metrixlearning.com/landing.cfm

Connecticut United Ways COVID-19 Response Fund
The COVID-19 crisis has required changes to typical philanthropic approaches. Far too many people require help, and individuals may require help for the first time in a long time, if not the first time. To meet the needs of households considered “ALICE,” or “Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed,” the United Way has shifted its approach to meet the needs of individuals harmed financially, professionally or personally by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Connecticut United Ways COVID-19 Response Fund is the result of that effort, a collaboration between all 15 Connecticut United Ways. This fund, which coincides with a partnership made with a virtual payment provider, allows the United Ways to raise significant funds to assist those who lost jobs or wages as a result of the pandemic. The fund is now disbursing payments to residents across the state needing money for necessities like food.

To date, the Response Fund has raised and distributed nearly $700,000, with donors including residents, state employees and corporate partners and foundations including Aetna, Avangrid, Citizens Bank, the Connecticut State Employees Campaign, Eversource, Liberty Bank, Travelers and Webster Bank. The funds are distributed using a formula of the percentage of ALICE residents in each Connecticut town and city.

Recipients receive $200 through a rapid distribution system, aided by a mobile wallet app on recipients’ cell phones.  Beneficiaries are pre-qualified by social service agencies with digital applications, allowing funds to be loaded into mobile wallets immediately as need requires. The money can be spent on necessities: food, medicine, utilities and gasoline, to mention a few. Electronically distributing the funds allows those who need the money most to receive it without violating social distancing, giving immediate relief to those in need.

To donate to the Connecticut United Ways COVID-19 Response Fund, please visit www.CTUWCovid19ResponseFund.org.