Connecticut COVID Update: Data, Travel Advisory Expanded, FEMA Extension

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 and click the link that is labeled, “COVID-19 Data Tracker.”

Regional travel advisory expanded to include more locations with high COVID-19 infection rates

The regional travel advisory between Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York that went into effect last month and directs incoming travelers from states with a significant community spread of COVID-19 to self-quarantine for a 14-day period was updated today and now also includes Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Puerto Rico, and Washington, DC.

The quarantine applies to any person arriving from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a 7-day rolling average or a state with a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.

As of today, the full list of locations meeting this criteria includes:

·       Alaska

·       Alabama

·       Arkansas

·       Arizona

·       California

·       Delaware

·       Florida

·       Georgia

·       Iowa

·       Idaho

·       Illinois

·       Indiana

·       Kansas

·       Kentucky

·       Louisiana

·       Maryland

·       Minnesota

·       Missouri

·       Mississippi

·       Montana

·       North Carolina

·       North Dakota

·       Nebraska

·       New Mexico

·       Nevada

·       Ohio

·       Oklahoma

·       Puerto Rico

·       South Carolina

·       Tennessee

·       Texas

·       Utah

·       Virginia

·       Washington

·       Washington, D.C.

·       Wisconsin

This list will continue to be updated on a regular basis as the situation develops across the country. Anyone seeking the most up-to-date information on the regional travel advisory is encouraged to visit the state’s coronavirus website at portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus/travel.

FEMA approves extension of non-congregate sheltering program through September 1

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved a 30 day extension of the non-congregate sheltering authorization under the FEMA Public Assistance program until September 1, 2020. This approval was previously set to expire on August 1, 2020. This vital program, which was initially approved in March, provides non-congregate housing to certain high-risk individuals, including those have COVID-19 or have been in contact with COVID-19 positive individuals. It provides the state and its municipalities with a 75 percent reimbursement of all eligible costs associated with this housing.

The program includes non-congregate housing for:

·       Those at high risk of exposure in public service;

·       Individuals in at-risk facilities such as group homes, nursing homes, long-term care sites, and alternative care facilities;

·       First responders and health care workers who have been exposed and cannot return home;

·       Homeless individuals in congregate shelters; and

·       Individuals in domestic violence shelters.

Connecticut’s implementation of this program has been highlighted as a best practice by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition.