Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic in Connecticut, United States
This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Most sub-sections in the "Timeline" section need to be thoroughly updated with CT-related COVID-19 events. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(September 2021)
The first confirmed case of the
COVID-19 pandemic in the
U.S. state of
Connecticut was confirmed on March 8, although there had previously been multiple people suspected of having COVID-19, all of which eventually tested negative. As of January 19, 2022[update], there were 599,028 confirmed cases, 68,202 suspected cases, and 9,683 COVID-associated deaths in the state.[1]
As of January 17, 2022[update], 2,943,928 people (81.07% of the state's population) have received at least an initial dose of a
COVID-19 vaccine, and 2,573,422 people (70.86% of the state's population) have been fully vaccinated.[2]
In late January 2020, two students living in Connecticut were monitored for displaying coronavirus-like symptoms. The first student attended
Wesleyan University in
Middletown and tested negative for COVID-19, and instead had a case of the flu on January 27.[4] The second student monitored for the virus was attending the 2020 Yale Model United Nations Conference at
Yale University in
New Haven, and was also diagnosed with the flu on January 31.[5] On January 28, a student from
Uncasville, who had traveled to
China, was suspected to carry the virus, but tested negative and was cleared to return to school the next day.[6]
On February 6, the Connecticut Department of Public Health released a document with information intended for schools to prevent the spread of the virus. The document advocated for those who had been to China recently to self-monitor for 14 days, and that those exhibiting no symptoms after the 14-day period were able to return to their normal lives.[7][8]
In late February, greater precautions were undertaken by different organizations to be prepared for the potential spread of the virus into Connecticut.[9] On February 25, the
University of New Haven suggested that all students in
Italy should return to the United States.[10] A laboratory in
Rocky Hill was approved by the
United States Centers for Disease Control to test for COVID-19.[11]
March 2020
March 1–2: On March 1, two of Connecticut's neighbors, Rhode Island and New York, were confirmed to have COVID-19 cases.[12] On the same day, both the
Connecticut state governorNed Lamont and the
United States Surgeon General spoke at a Connecticut Department of Public Health laboratory in Rocky Hill, which had been previously approved to test for the virus.[13] On March 2, two suspected cases of coronavirus in Connecticut were confirmed to be negative.[14]
March 3–4: On March 3,
Southern Connecticut State University suspended all institutionally-supported travel to nations including Italy, China, South Korea, and Japan to try to prevent the spread of the virus.[15] On March 4, it was revealed that a Meriden-based company had begun research on a vaccine to combat COVID-19.[16]
March 5–6: On March 5, over 200 people in Connecticut were advised to self-monitor for symptoms.[17] On March 6, an employee at
Danbury Hospital and
Norwalk Hospital tested positive for COVID-19, marking the first confirmed coronavirus case that could be linked to Connecticut. However, the person infected lived in New York and quarantined in
Westchester County, where she lived.[18]
March 8: The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the state was reported in the town of
Wilton. The patient was between the age of 40 and 50 and was believed to have contracted the virus during a trip to California.[19]
March 9: A second positive case of COVID-19 was confirmed. The patient was a female in her 60s and was a healthcare worker at
Bridgeport Hospital.[20]
March 10: Governor
Ned Lamont declared a civil preparedness and public health emergency in response to COVID-19.[21][22]
March 13: Governor Lamont ordered all schools to close after March 16 until at least March 31.[23]
March 20: Governor Lamont signed an
executive order directing Connecticut businesses and residents to "Stay Safe, Stay Home."[24] The executive order was similar to other
stay-at-home orders that were issued by different governors at the time.[25] Non-essential businesses were ordered to close and were subject to fines if they did not comply; individual citizens were not subject to fines for violating the order.[26]
March 27: Dr. Cory Edgar, 48, of the
University of Connecticut Health Center was arrested and charged with a breach of peace misdemeanor for coughing on and hugging coworkers. Edgar was in good health and was believed to not have
COVID-19.[28] On the same day, Senator
Chris Murphy (D-CT) said that administration officials turned down an offer of congressional funding made on February 5.[29]
March 28: President
Donald Trump decided against imposing a broad two-week lockdown on New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut; however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised residents of the region not to travel except for essential purposes.[30]
May 20: Connecticut began Phase 1 of a three-phase plan to reopen Connecticut. Phase 1 allowed museums and zoos (outdoors only), offices, restaurants (outdoors only), retail and malls, outdoor recreation, and university research facilities to reopen.[32]
June 2020
June 1: Two of Connecticut's largest employers,
Mohegan Sun Casino and
Foxwoods Resort Casino, reopened. While Lamont publicly urged casinos to stay closed due to the
sovereign nature of the
tribal nations that own the casinos, they were able to open before similarly operated businesses in Connecticut.[33] The state started to erect electric signs on roads leading to the casinos to discourage people from going.[34] In addition, hair salons and barbershops were allowed to open.[32]
June 17: Connecticut began Phase 2 of reopening. Types of facilities that were allowed to reopen include indoor dining, hotels, and gyms.[35]
July 2020
July 6: Governor Lamont indefinitely postponed the Phase 3 reopening scheduled for July 20, citing the surge in cases following other states reopening. Although Connecticut had met its contact tracing goals and had not seen an increase in cases, the move was done in coordination with a comparable policy change in New Jersey, where case numbers were increasing.[36][37]
July 20: The state public health laboratory announced it had identified a flaw in the test system that resulted in 91 false positive tests in 90 patients over the previous month.[38]
July 21: Governor Lamont announced that travelers from states with a high burden of virus would be required to fill out a health questionnaire and quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Connecticut. Noncompliance could result in a $1,000 fine.[39][40]
September 2020
September 1: Governor Lamont renewed the emergency orders, originally issued on March 10, 2020, to remain in effect until February 9, 2021.[41][42]
October 2020
October 8: The postponed Phase 3 reopening began, with existing limits on gathering capacities being relaxed. Indoor performing arts venues were reopened at 50% capacity while bars and nightclubs remained closed.[43]
November 2020
November 6: With the number of cases increasing, the Phase 3 reopening was scaled back to new "Phase 2.1" rules. Some of these rules included mandatory 10:00 PM closing times for restaurant dining, entertainment, recreational venues, and any other indoor or outdoor event.[44][45] The Connecticut State Department of Public Health advised a voluntary curfew from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM.[46][47]
December 18: The first nursing home residents were vaccinated.[49]December 21: The first doses of the
Moderna COVID-19 vaccine were administered.[50]
January 2021
January 4: Healthcare workers began receiving scheduled second vaccination doses for those who had already received one dose.[51]
January 26: Governor Lamont ordered a second extension of the emergency declaration to last until April 20, 2021.[52][53]
February 2021
February 1: The mandatory closing time for dine-in restaurants was moved from 10 PM to 11 PM. Mask guidelines, social distancing recommendations, and the 50% capacity limit on houses of worship were left unchanged, but the numerical cap on group size was lifted.[54]
February 8: As of this date, more than 50% of the population 75 years old or older was partially vaccinated, leading to the announcement that vaccinations would be opened to those 65 or older.[55]
February 22: Governor Lamont announced that Connecticut would shift to an age-based approach to vaccinations, with those 55 to 64 years old, education professionals, and teachers becoming eligible to get their first doses.[56]
March 2021
Due to another increase in cases, Lamont continued to push vaccination increases, and on March 25, he announced that on April 1 the vaccine would be open to anyone 16 and older.[57]
May 2021
May 3: Connecticut was the first state to fully vaccinate 50% of its adult population.[58]
June 2021
June 7: A report on sequencing analysis revealed sixteen instances of the
B.1.617.2 (Delta)variant of concern (approximately 3% of samples in the past week) and two of the
B.1.617.1 (Kappa)
variant, both being first identified in India.[59]
Over 30,000 unemployment claims have been filed between Friday, March 13, and Tuesday, March 17 in Connecticut.[62] Many of these unemployment claims have been associated with the laying-off of employees of businesses unable to afford to maintain their entire staff during the outbreak, as well as due to the closure of businesses reliant on public and social interactions such as bars and gyms.[63][64]
In response to racism surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Connecticut governor Ned Lamont stated during a speech at the Connecticut Department of Public Health's laboratory in Rocky Hill, "there is no link between race or ethnicity and the spread of coronavirus. Viruses do not discriminate."[14]
Education
Governor Ned Lamont signed an executive order requiring the closure of all Connecticut public schools on March 17 until May 20; it was eventually extended for the rest of the school year. Most public schools were already closed. March 13–14[65] Lamont also encouraged private schools and other non-public schools to follow the same schedule.[66]
Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic in Connecticut, United States
This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Most sub-sections in the "Timeline" section need to be thoroughly updated with CT-related COVID-19 events. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(September 2021)
The first confirmed case of the
COVID-19 pandemic in the
U.S. state of
Connecticut was confirmed on March 8, although there had previously been multiple people suspected of having COVID-19, all of which eventually tested negative. As of January 19, 2022[update], there were 599,028 confirmed cases, 68,202 suspected cases, and 9,683 COVID-associated deaths in the state.[1]
As of January 17, 2022[update], 2,943,928 people (81.07% of the state's population) have received at least an initial dose of a
COVID-19 vaccine, and 2,573,422 people (70.86% of the state's population) have been fully vaccinated.[2]
In late January 2020, two students living in Connecticut were monitored for displaying coronavirus-like symptoms. The first student attended
Wesleyan University in
Middletown and tested negative for COVID-19, and instead had a case of the flu on January 27.[4] The second student monitored for the virus was attending the 2020 Yale Model United Nations Conference at
Yale University in
New Haven, and was also diagnosed with the flu on January 31.[5] On January 28, a student from
Uncasville, who had traveled to
China, was suspected to carry the virus, but tested negative and was cleared to return to school the next day.[6]
On February 6, the Connecticut Department of Public Health released a document with information intended for schools to prevent the spread of the virus. The document advocated for those who had been to China recently to self-monitor for 14 days, and that those exhibiting no symptoms after the 14-day period were able to return to their normal lives.[7][8]
In late February, greater precautions were undertaken by different organizations to be prepared for the potential spread of the virus into Connecticut.[9] On February 25, the
University of New Haven suggested that all students in
Italy should return to the United States.[10] A laboratory in
Rocky Hill was approved by the
United States Centers for Disease Control to test for COVID-19.[11]
March 2020
March 1–2: On March 1, two of Connecticut's neighbors, Rhode Island and New York, were confirmed to have COVID-19 cases.[12] On the same day, both the
Connecticut state governorNed Lamont and the
United States Surgeon General spoke at a Connecticut Department of Public Health laboratory in Rocky Hill, which had been previously approved to test for the virus.[13] On March 2, two suspected cases of coronavirus in Connecticut were confirmed to be negative.[14]
March 3–4: On March 3,
Southern Connecticut State University suspended all institutionally-supported travel to nations including Italy, China, South Korea, and Japan to try to prevent the spread of the virus.[15] On March 4, it was revealed that a Meriden-based company had begun research on a vaccine to combat COVID-19.[16]
March 5–6: On March 5, over 200 people in Connecticut were advised to self-monitor for symptoms.[17] On March 6, an employee at
Danbury Hospital and
Norwalk Hospital tested positive for COVID-19, marking the first confirmed coronavirus case that could be linked to Connecticut. However, the person infected lived in New York and quarantined in
Westchester County, where she lived.[18]
March 8: The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the state was reported in the town of
Wilton. The patient was between the age of 40 and 50 and was believed to have contracted the virus during a trip to California.[19]
March 9: A second positive case of COVID-19 was confirmed. The patient was a female in her 60s and was a healthcare worker at
Bridgeport Hospital.[20]
March 10: Governor
Ned Lamont declared a civil preparedness and public health emergency in response to COVID-19.[21][22]
March 13: Governor Lamont ordered all schools to close after March 16 until at least March 31.[23]
March 20: Governor Lamont signed an
executive order directing Connecticut businesses and residents to "Stay Safe, Stay Home."[24] The executive order was similar to other
stay-at-home orders that were issued by different governors at the time.[25] Non-essential businesses were ordered to close and were subject to fines if they did not comply; individual citizens were not subject to fines for violating the order.[26]
March 27: Dr. Cory Edgar, 48, of the
University of Connecticut Health Center was arrested and charged with a breach of peace misdemeanor for coughing on and hugging coworkers. Edgar was in good health and was believed to not have
COVID-19.[28] On the same day, Senator
Chris Murphy (D-CT) said that administration officials turned down an offer of congressional funding made on February 5.[29]
March 28: President
Donald Trump decided against imposing a broad two-week lockdown on New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut; however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised residents of the region not to travel except for essential purposes.[30]
May 20: Connecticut began Phase 1 of a three-phase plan to reopen Connecticut. Phase 1 allowed museums and zoos (outdoors only), offices, restaurants (outdoors only), retail and malls, outdoor recreation, and university research facilities to reopen.[32]
June 2020
June 1: Two of Connecticut's largest employers,
Mohegan Sun Casino and
Foxwoods Resort Casino, reopened. While Lamont publicly urged casinos to stay closed due to the
sovereign nature of the
tribal nations that own the casinos, they were able to open before similarly operated businesses in Connecticut.[33] The state started to erect electric signs on roads leading to the casinos to discourage people from going.[34] In addition, hair salons and barbershops were allowed to open.[32]
June 17: Connecticut began Phase 2 of reopening. Types of facilities that were allowed to reopen include indoor dining, hotels, and gyms.[35]
July 2020
July 6: Governor Lamont indefinitely postponed the Phase 3 reopening scheduled for July 20, citing the surge in cases following other states reopening. Although Connecticut had met its contact tracing goals and had not seen an increase in cases, the move was done in coordination with a comparable policy change in New Jersey, where case numbers were increasing.[36][37]
July 20: The state public health laboratory announced it had identified a flaw in the test system that resulted in 91 false positive tests in 90 patients over the previous month.[38]
July 21: Governor Lamont announced that travelers from states with a high burden of virus would be required to fill out a health questionnaire and quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Connecticut. Noncompliance could result in a $1,000 fine.[39][40]
September 2020
September 1: Governor Lamont renewed the emergency orders, originally issued on March 10, 2020, to remain in effect until February 9, 2021.[41][42]
October 2020
October 8: The postponed Phase 3 reopening began, with existing limits on gathering capacities being relaxed. Indoor performing arts venues were reopened at 50% capacity while bars and nightclubs remained closed.[43]
November 2020
November 6: With the number of cases increasing, the Phase 3 reopening was scaled back to new "Phase 2.1" rules. Some of these rules included mandatory 10:00 PM closing times for restaurant dining, entertainment, recreational venues, and any other indoor or outdoor event.[44][45] The Connecticut State Department of Public Health advised a voluntary curfew from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM.[46][47]
December 18: The first nursing home residents were vaccinated.[49]December 21: The first doses of the
Moderna COVID-19 vaccine were administered.[50]
January 2021
January 4: Healthcare workers began receiving scheduled second vaccination doses for those who had already received one dose.[51]
January 26: Governor Lamont ordered a second extension of the emergency declaration to last until April 20, 2021.[52][53]
February 2021
February 1: The mandatory closing time for dine-in restaurants was moved from 10 PM to 11 PM. Mask guidelines, social distancing recommendations, and the 50% capacity limit on houses of worship were left unchanged, but the numerical cap on group size was lifted.[54]
February 8: As of this date, more than 50% of the population 75 years old or older was partially vaccinated, leading to the announcement that vaccinations would be opened to those 65 or older.[55]
February 22: Governor Lamont announced that Connecticut would shift to an age-based approach to vaccinations, with those 55 to 64 years old, education professionals, and teachers becoming eligible to get their first doses.[56]
March 2021
Due to another increase in cases, Lamont continued to push vaccination increases, and on March 25, he announced that on April 1 the vaccine would be open to anyone 16 and older.[57]
May 2021
May 3: Connecticut was the first state to fully vaccinate 50% of its adult population.[58]
June 2021
June 7: A report on sequencing analysis revealed sixteen instances of the
B.1.617.2 (Delta)variant of concern (approximately 3% of samples in the past week) and two of the
B.1.617.1 (Kappa)
variant, both being first identified in India.[59]
Over 30,000 unemployment claims have been filed between Friday, March 13, and Tuesday, March 17 in Connecticut.[62] Many of these unemployment claims have been associated with the laying-off of employees of businesses unable to afford to maintain their entire staff during the outbreak, as well as due to the closure of businesses reliant on public and social interactions such as bars and gyms.[63][64]
In response to racism surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Connecticut governor Ned Lamont stated during a speech at the Connecticut Department of Public Health's laboratory in Rocky Hill, "there is no link between race or ethnicity and the spread of coronavirus. Viruses do not discriminate."[14]
Education
Governor Ned Lamont signed an executive order requiring the closure of all Connecticut public schools on March 17 until May 20; it was eventually extended for the rest of the school year. Most public schools were already closed. March 13–14[65] Lamont also encouraged private schools and other non-public schools to follow the same schedule.[66]