As of Wednesday, April 1, there are 3,557 positive COVID-19 cases in Connecticut, with 85 deaths and 766 people hospitalized. This is up from the 3,128 Connecticut residents who tested positive, the 69 who died, and the 608 hospitalized as of Tuesday. Wednesday’s numbers were 429 positive cases, 16 dead, and 158 hospitalized.
For a town-by-town breakdown and other COVID-19 statistics, please visit: https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus
Mortgage Payment Relief
Error! Filename not specified.
Governor Lamont announced more than 50 credit unions and banks in Connecticut will offer mortgage relief to state residents and businesses facing hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic. The following policies will be offered:
- Financial institutions will offer mortgage-payment forbearances of up to 90 days, allowing homeowners to reduce or delay monthly mortgage payments. They will also provide a streamlined process for requesting forbearance, confirm approval and terms of forbearance programs, and extend agreements if faced with continued hardship.
- For at least 90 days, financial institutions will waive or refund mortgage-related late fees and other fees including early CD withdrawals.
- Financial institutions will not start any foreclosure sales or evictions for 60 days.
- Late or missed payments will not be shared with credit reporting agencies.
Contact your mortgage servicer to learn how to take advantage of mortgage relief.
New Childcare Guidelines
Under a new executive order issued by Governor Lamont, no more than 10 children should be in groups during childcare; any facility caring for more than 30 children must obtain approval from the Office of Early Childhood and demonstrate sufficient separation of groups within the facility; all children and staff should be checked at the entrance of a facility for observable illness and confirm temperatures of below 100 degrees Fahrenheit; and staff must adhere to increased hand washing and health practices as well as enhanced cleaning and disinfection practices.
Health System Response Team
Governor Lamont this week formed the Governor’s Health System Response Team, which consists of the CEOs of several Connecticut hospital systems, including Hartford Healthcare, Nuvance Health and Yale New Haven Health. This team will work with the Connecticut Hospital Association and the state’s other hospitals to advise the governor, Department of Public Health and state Emergency Support Functions on proper allocation and distribution of medical resources, supplies and personnel throughout the duration of the public health emergency.
Health Care Volunteers
More than 2,000 people, including retired health care professionals and health care students, have registered with a state database that will track health care workers in coming weeks and match volunteer services with Connecticut medical facilities in need. Anyone interested in volunteering can register online at ctresponds.ct.gov.
Voting Security
Connecticut will receive $5.4 million from the federal government to enhance safety of in-person voting at polling places, expand vote-at-home mail-in voting and protect the security and integrity of elections in our state. The CARES Act, approved by the federal government last week, dedicated $400 million to states to lessen the impact on the 2020 election cycle.
Red Cross Blood Donations
The American Red Cross now faces a severe blood shortage due to an unprecedented number of blood drive cancellations during this coronavirus outbreak. To anyone who wants to Donate the Gift of Life. Please go online www.redcrossblood.org then type in “your” city and State. Ie. Milford CT or just call (800) RED-CROSS.
State Extends Filing and Payment Deadlines for Sales Tax and Room Occupancy Tax
The state Department of Revenue Services is granting an automatic extension until May 31 for the filing and payment deadlines for sales tax and room occupancy tax.
Taxpayers who have $150,000 or less in annual sales tax or room occupancy tax liability now qualify for an automatic extension to file and pay.
Taxpayers must use a calendar year look-back period of January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2019. Any taxpayer who reported $150,000 or less in tax during that period qualifies for the relief.
CT Fair Housing Center Reports
The Connecticut Fair Housing Center will provide daily reports of housing-related issues caused by COVID-19. Please click here to join its distribution form or visit its website for these daily updates. Recent updates statewide include:
- Owners and managers of Low Income Housing Tax Credit housing will see recertifications proceed by telephone or digital means and owners and managers can accept electronic documents as part of this process.
- Travelers has repurposed kitchen facilities to assist nonprofits in preparing and delivering meals through Hands on Hartford and Meals on Wheels.
- At least 1,000 homeless individuals will be relocated to hotels in the near future in an effort to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in vulnerable populations.
Please consult the CHFC for more information.
Keeping Grocery Workers Safe
Throughout these tough times, grocery workers continue to serve the public and make sure we can all continue to feed our families. In addition to recently installed safety precautions such as plexiglass protection at cash registers and signs, we can all do our part to keep these vital workers safe and prevent further spread of COVID.
When you go shopping, please consider taking the following steps:
- Physically distance yourself at least six feet from supermarket employees and fellow shoppers. Please give them room to restock products and when you check out.
- Whenever possible, only send one family member to the store at a time.
- Use touchless options, such as credit cards and wireless payments, whenever possible, and wipe down cards and phones before and after shopping trips.
- Do your best to avoid touching any surfaces and bring disinfecting wipes to disinfect touch points if possible.
- If you wear gloves, please dispose of them in the trash when you leave.
Horseback Riders and Horse Owners – What To Know
While “Stay Home, Stay Safe” prohibits non-essential businesses from operating, animal shelters, animal care and animal management are all considered essential. The State Department of Agriculture, Connecticut Farm Bureau and Connecticut Horse Council understand this is a challenging time for all and have released guidelines to meet essential needs at this time.
- Stables should set up schedules of access times to ensure fewer than five people are at a barn at once and recommend continuing social distancing, proper disinfecting and sanitary practices.
- Essential equine care includes providing food, water, proper handling, health care and proper housing, as well as turnout and exercise necessary to individual horses.
- Riding lessons, programs and camps, club and organization meetings, and visits to equine facilities by anyone other than essential caregivers are not considered essential.
- Sporting events are prohibited.
- Limit access to and disinfect common areas regularly.
- Avoid sharing equipment and supplies between people when possible.