State Rolls Back Openings Amid COVID Second Wave

An image from the governor’s press conference Monday.

Amid a second COVID-19 wave in the state, Gov. Ned Lamont Monday announced the government was reinstituting restrictions meant to limit the public’s exposure to the virus.

Starting Friday, restaurants will be limited to 50 percent indoor capacity. There will be a maximum of eight people per table in restaurants. Restaurants will not be allowed to remain open past 9:30 p.m. Takeout and delivery will still be allowed past 9:30 p.m.

“Event venues” will max out at 25 people at inside events, and 50 people outside. Religious gatherings are at 50 percent capacity, 100 people max.

The restaurant restrictions come after a few reports of large gatherings, such as a well-publicized party at Anthony’s Ocean View in New Haven.

Despite the repeated mention of restaurants, the Lamont administration said restaurants are not to blame for the second wave of COVID-19 infections the state is now experiencing. The virus is ​“community spread,” Lamont said, which means the specific sources of new infections are not known since the virus is widespread.

In addition, the government is now recommending everyone stay home between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. It is not a curfew. It is a recommendation.

Dr. Deidre S. Gifford, the acting commissioner of the department of public health, said Lamont is taking these actions because ​“we want to preserve our hospital capacity.”

“It is inevitable that we will see hospitalizations continue to grow given the number of cases that we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks, and in order to slow that trend and turn things around, we need to decrease the number of cases that we are diagnosing in the community. We need to stop the spread in the community,” Dr. Gifford said. ​“That’s why these measures are so important and it so important that everyone take action.”

From The Hartford Courant:

The state reported a single-day positivity rate of 3.4% and, while the daily positivity rate may vary widely, Connecticut’s seven-day average rate is now about 3.6%. That’s the highest weekly rate the state has seen since June 6.

Coronavirus hospitalizations and deaths have also risen in recent weeks. On Monday, the state reported a total of 340 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, the highest number seen since June 5. And in the month of October, at least 108 people died with the virus, which is more than three times the number of people who died in August.

Griffin Hospital via Facebook

COVID-19 testing at Griffin Hospital in Derby.

Hospitals must be able to keep dealing with non-COVID cases within their walls, she said.

During a press conference Monday, Gov. Lamont and his colleagues repeatedly said the restrictions are needed to stave off more extensive lockdowns, including those being seen in Europe.

The state had been in its ​“phase 3” opening. Restaurants, for example, were allowed to have 75 percent capacity. The prior phase was called ​“phase 2.” The latest, rolled-back phase is being dubbed 2.1.

For the last few weeks the state has been trying to deal with COVID-19 cases on a municipal basis, such as the weekly issuance of a color-coded map showing COVID-19 ​“hot spots.” Ansonia was put into the red zone last week. Lamont said COVID-19 metrics have been heading in the wrong direction all over the state, so a statewide approach is being used again.

Locally, Ansonia is in the red, Shelton is yellow, other towns (Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck & Seymour) are orange.

On Friday, Ansonia Public Schools announced the Prendergast School would be closed for two weeks because a large number of teachers and students must quarantine after being exposed to the virus.

On Monday, the school district sent a letter saying that an individual ​“assisting” with an athletic team at Ansonia High School had tested positive for COVID-19. The person was last on the field Oct. 27, according to the letter. A single group of student athletes must now quarantine for two weeks.

Two popular eateries — The Dew Drop Inn in Derby and Crave in Ansonia — are both temporarily closed after an employee in each establishment tested positive for COVID-19.

Also on Monday, the Naugatuck Valley Health District reported an additional 83 positive COVID-19 tests since the evening of Thursday, Oct. 29.

The box below contains the total number of COVID-19 cases since March, and the increase since Thursday.

“If you or your child needs or wants to be tested for COVID-19, please call Griffin Hospital’s scheduling hotline at 203 – 437-6815 to schedule an appointment at their drive-up test collection site,” Jessica Stelmaszek, the NVHD director of health, said in an email. ​“Use the code word ​“community” and you won’t need a physician’s order.”

The NVHD also advises people to wear face masks to the polls on Election Day, and to wash their hands afterward.

The complete report from the Naugatuck Valley Health District is embedded below. It is followed by a document the state uses that explains the formula used to declare certain towns ​“hot zones.”

November 2 2020 COVID-19 Up… by The Valley Indy

How To Calculate Average Da… by The Valley Indy

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