Lamont: coronavirus cases in Connecticut up to 23,100 (+631 since yesterday); 1,639 dead (+95 since yesterday)

HARTFORD, CT – As the State of Connecticut continues taking actions in response to the global spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Governor Ned Lamont provided the following updates as of 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, 2020:

Data updates on testing in Connecticut

The following is a summary of the day-to-day newly reported data on cases, deaths, and tests in Connecticut. It is important to note that these newly reported updates include data that occurred over the last several days to a week. All data in this report are preliminary, and data for previous dates will be updated as new reports are received and data errors are corrected.

County-by-county breakdown:

For several additional graphs and tables containing more data, including a list of cases in every municipality, visit ct.gov/coronavirus.

Updated nursing home data anticipated to be released Friday

The weekly release of data regarding COVID-19 in each of the state’s nursing homes is anticipated to be released on Friday, April 23.

Governor Lamont signs 32^nd executive order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19

Governor Lamont today signed another executive order – the 32^nd since he enacted the emergency declarations – that builds upon his efforts to encourage mitigation strategies that slow down transmission of the virus.

Executive Order No. 7EE enacts the following provisions:

• Mandatory reporting by managed residential communities: Requires all managed residential communities, including assisted living facilities, to provide daily status reports to the state using the existing Connecticut Hospital and Long-Term Care Mutual Aid Plan.

• Mandatory reporting by nursing homes: Requires all nursing homes to provide daily status reports using the Connecticut Hospital and Long-Term Care Mutual Aid Plan.

• Civil Penalties for failure to comply with mandatory reporting: Subjects nursing homes that fail to comply with the mandatory reporting requirements of this order to civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation.

• Waiving certain Medicaid prior authorization requirements: Modifies state statutes and regulations to authorize the commissioner of the Department of Social Services to temporarily waive, suspend, or modify any prior authorization and other utilization review requirements.

• Waiving Medicaid bed reservation requirements for residents who are on leave from intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities: Authorizes the commissioner of the Department of Social Services to temporarily waive, suspend, or modify requirements to reserve beds for certain time periods for residents who are on home leave or who are hospitalized.

• Waiving requirements for signed delivery receipt for medical equipment, devices, and supplies: Authorizes the commissioner of the Department of Social Services to temporarily waive, suspend, or modify requirements for providers of medical equipment, devices, and supplies to obtain a signed delivery receipt from the Medicaid member as a condition of payment.

State launches program to coordinate housing solutions for individuals re-entering society

The Connecticut Office of Policy Management (OPM) – in partnership with the Department of Housing, the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH), United Way 2-1-1, the Department of Correction (DOC), and housing and homeless service providers across the state – is launching a new program to coordinate housing solutions for individuals re-entering the community from incarceration.

OPM has awarded an initial grant of $148,500 to provide flexible funds to assist re-entry clients, who would otherwise be discharging to homelessness, identify and secure alternative housing solutions. CCEH will be administering these funds, which are flexible and can be used for housing related costs such as moving expenses, security deposits, and rental assistance in order to prevent homelessness.

Key homeless service providers across the state have expanded their capacity to assist these clients prior to discharge, working with DOC, CCEH, United Way 2-1-1, and Court Support Services Division within the Connecticut Judicial Branch to coordinate solutions and reduce inflows into homelessness. The Transitions Clinic at Yale also offers important medical and mental health support coordination for individuals re-entering the community. Under this grant, funding for cell phones for reentering citizens is included to help individuals connect with telehealth providers such as Transitions to coordinate their healthcare needs remotely wherever possible and help prevent unnecessary use of hospital emergency rooms for non-emergency healthcare needs.

Regional lead agencies include Supportive Housing Works, Community Health Resources, New London Homeless Hospitality Center, Thames Valley Council for Community Action, Mental Health Connecticut, United Way of Greater New Haven, and New Opportunities.

“The DOC, its partner agencies, criminal justice stakeholders, and homeless service providers are working around the clock during this public-health emergency to help people who otherwise would return to the community homeless,” Marc Pelka, OPM Undersecretary of Criminal Justice Policy and Planning, said. “At a time when community resources, particularly housing services, are facing strain, I wholeheartedly support efforts to help set people returning to the community up for success while helping safeguard Connecticut’s emergency shelters, which are reducing density in accordance with public health requirements.”

“Our Department of Correction views housing as one of the most important factors for successful reentry, and safe and stable housing has become even more critical as we face the additional challenges around the COVID-19 pandemic,” Correction Commissioner Rollin Cook said. “This progressive new program will enable DOC to prevent more people from leaving DOC only to wind up homeless, not only during these difficult times, but well into the future.”

“The current public health crisis makes it more evident than ever that securing housing solutions prior to discharge is not only the right thing to do, but also in the best interest of society as a whole,” Dr. Richard Cho, CEO of CCEH, said. “This is a step forward, and we are grateful for our partnership with the state to end the revolving door between homelessness and incarceration.”

This program is part of a larger, statewide multi-agency effort to improve outcomes for re-entry clients and decrease the intersection between the criminal justice system and homelessness. CCEH, OPM, and DOC conducted a data matching project that was released in 2019 and found that 20 percent of individuals in shelters had been incarcerated within the last three years.

Governor Lamont encourages residents to sign up for the state’s CTAlert notification system

Governor Lamont is encouraging Connecticut residents to sign up for CTAlert, the state’s emergency alert system, which provides text message notifications to users. To subscribe, text the keyword COVIDCT to 888-777.

Providing information to Connecticut residents

For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, including an FAQ and other guidance and resources, residents are encouraged to visit ct.gov/coronavirus.

Individuals who have general questions that are not answered on the website can also call 2-1-1 for assistance. The hotline is available 24 hours a day and has multilingual assistance and TDD/TTY access. It intended to be used by individuals who are not experiencing symptoms but may have general questions related to COVID-19. Anyone experiencing symptoms is strongly urged to contact their medical provider.