TODAY’S UPDATE (5/12): Continued Decline in Hospitalizations & Lowest Number of Deaths in a Day in Over a Month/ State Receives Largest PPE Shipment To Date/ Drive Thru Testing in Vernon on Thursday/ Town of Ellington Meeting for Restaurant-Food Service Owners/ New Executive Order Regarding Outdoor Dining & Retail Sales/ Free Masks Available at Ellington Senior Center Tomorrow/ Field Hospitals Begin Coming Down
Since yesterday’s update, an additional 568 positive COVID-19 cases have been reported in Connecticut, bringing the statewide total to 34,333 since the start of the outbreak, including a total of 118 confirmed cases in East Windsor (+34 since yesterday) and still only 41 confirmed cases in Ellington (no change since yesterday). The total COVID-19 associated fatalities of residents reported in East Windsor is still at 9 associated deaths and Ellington also did not change (still at 4 resident deaths) according to today’s state data.
1,189 patients are currently being hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide (net decline of 23 since yesterday).
To date, a total of 138,42 tests have been performed in Connecticut (+5,916 since yesterday).
The total statewide number of COVID-19 associated fatalities is now 3,041 (+33 since yesterday). The Governor’s Office notes that the day-to-day changes are preliminary and reflect newly reported cases, deaths, and tests that occurred over the last several days to week.
Please continue to practice social distancing.
STATE RECEIVES LARGEST PPE SHIPMENT TO DATE
Over the last several days, the State of Connecticut received its single largest shipment of personal protective equipment to date in the fight to combat COVID-19. The equipment, which came from suppliers in China, was delivered to the state’s commodities warehouse in New Britain. It includes:
· 6 million surgical masks;
· 500,000 protective masks;
· 100,000 surgical gowns; and
· 100,000 temporal thermometers.
The PPE in the process of being sorted, and then will be delivered by the CT National Guard to frontline workers, including first responders, hospital staff, long-term care facility staff, and direct care providers.
DRIVE THRU TESTING SITE IN VERNON ON THURSDAY
The Town of Vernon is once again teaming up with Priority Urgent Care in Ellington to offer drive-thru COVID-19 testing on Thursday. The testing will be available to all who meet qualifying medical criteria from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Vernon Senior Center on Bolton Road.
It does not matter what town you live in or if you have insurance coverage. All are welcome to be screened and potentially tested in their car.
For more information, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/y72grety
TOWN OF ELLINGTON MEETING FOR RESTAURANT/ FOOD SERVICE OWNERS
First Selectman Lori Spielman reached out to me to help coordinate a meeting for all restaurants and food service providers in Ellington. These business owners should have received an email invitation to join a Zoom meeting on Thursday morning. This meeting is important, as certain town department heads, local leaders, and state officials will be present on the call to discuss details of guidelines and requirements for food service/restaurant re-openings. If you are an owner of a restaurant or food service provider in town, and did not receive this information, please call 860-870-3100 or email info@ellington-ct.gov and the town will get you the details so you can join us on Thursday.
NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER ISSUED REGARDING OUTDOOR DINING & RETAIL SALES
Governor Lamont today signed another executive order – the 40th since he enacted the emergency declarations (Executive Order No. 7MM) that enacts the following provisions:
· Allows municipalities to expedite changes to their zoning rules or other ordinances to expand outdoor dining
· Creates an expedited approval process for restaurants and other establishments that serve food to get fast-tracked permission to create or expand outdoor dining areas
· Allows other businesses such as retail stores to get fast-tracked permission to sell goods on the sidewalk or in other outdoor areas, including shared spaces or spaces provided by municipalities
· Allows restaurants and other businesses who already have liquor permits to serve alcohol only with food without applying for a separate patio or extension of use permit
· Allows private clubs to sell alcohol only to their members for delivery or pickup
· NOTE: A separate executive order will provide for the Phase I reopening of businesses and other activity, including those that are subject to today’s order. All of the Phase I reopening activity will be subject to operating rules issued by the Department of Economic and Community Development.
For the language of the executive order, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/y9aa4uzf
MASKS AVAILABLE AT ELLINGTON SENIOR CENTER TOMORROW
The Ellington Senior Center has about 100 more home-made face masks for our community. They will be handing them out Wednesday, May 13th, from 11-11:30AM at the Ellington Senior Center. It will be drive thru style as supplies last so please wait in line for your turn.
FIELD HOSPITALS BEGIN COMING DOWN
Thankfully, many of the field hospitals across the state were not needed or only used on a limited basis since the beginning of the outbreak. This morning, the mobile field hospital set up outside of Hartford’s St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center was to begin to be taken down and other field hospitals in the state will begin that process as well in the coming days and weeks, although some may stay up longer as testing sites or recovery centers.
For more data and information on the state’s coronavirus outbreak, please visit ct.gov/coronavirus
As always, please feel free to contact me at christopher.davis@housegop.ct.gov or repdavis.com if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
