HARTFORD, Conn. — Governor Ned Lamont will hold a news briefing Thursday afternoon to provide updates on Connecticut’s coronavirus response efforts.
The Governor's office released the latest COVID-19 statistics.
There were 13,857 tests administered Thursday and 220 came back positive, which yields a positivity rate of 1.6%. Connecticut has seen a positivity rate of over 1 percent for the last few days.
Current hospitalizations also increased by five people. There are now 75 people in the hospital due to COVID-19.
There was one COVID-19 related death Thursday, bringing the state death total to 4,488 people.
This update comes as a number of schools across the state continue to report confirmed cases of COVID-19. Lamont said he was not sure if the increase of cases, the positivity rate are connected to schools reopening.
The main focus of the press conference was to discuss the financial health of the state which, like all states, took a huge hit in due to the pandemic.
In the short term, Lamont says Connecticut is in a good position. Lamon said there is a 15% surplus which is seventh in the nation. The state is ranked 19th out of the 50 states in economic bounce back. However, deficits are expected for FY22 and FY23.
Lamont did express his concern with the upcoming FY and the uncertain economic impact of the continuance of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Watch the full press conference here.
Earlier Thursday, Gov. Lamont and the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority announced the launch of a new website.
The site offers employers, employees and healthcare providers helpful tools and resources for the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act.
“No one should have to choose between caring for their family when they need it most, and paying their bills,” Governor Lamont said. “This program was put together thoughtfully to ensure that working families in our state don’t have to make that tough choice. Now more than ever, it’s important that we make these tools available – if we’ve learned anything from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s the importance of planning ahead. This website is an incredible tool that will help employers and employees alike effectively prepare for this new program. I want to thank the Connecticut Paid Leave Authority, the legislature, organized labor, and advocacy organizations for their work and support of this effort.”
The Connecticut Paid Leave program is set to begin on January 1, 2021. Paid Leave program benefits become accessible to qualified employees beginning on January 1, 2022.
“Never has it been more clear the importance of having resources available to Connecticut working families as they balance their workplace responsibilities with their personal and family health needs,” Connecticut Paid Leave CEO Andrea Barton Reeves said. “The launching of this comprehensive new website is a significant step forward in our goal to help employers, employees and healthcare providers access these resources, and to provide a gateway to vital information for everyone to better understand their rights, roles and responsibilities in this new program.”
