HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Gov. Ned Lamont said Wednesday he plans to require grocery and other retail workers who interact with the public to wear face masks. He encouraged citizens to wear them as well, noting the number of deaths and hospitalizations associated with COVID-19 in Connecticut continues to grow.
Also, Wednesday marked the largest day-to-day increase in laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the state, up 197 from Tuesday, for a total of 868. But Lamont said about 170 of those were “catch-up” deaths, likely people who didn’t die in a hospital and were not included the state’s earlier counts.
“There’s a lot of admissions in hospitals. That reflects the infection rate. That reflects we still have some work to do,” the Democrat said, pointing out that new hospitalizations have increased in Fairfield, New Haven and Hartford counties.
Wearing a black face mask around his neck, Lamont stressed the continued importance of social distancing and said he’ll likely issue an executive order in the next two days requiring workers in groceries and other stores to wear face coverings. And he strongly suggested people wear them in public, especially when coming in contact with others.
“I think this is the way we’re going to get this virus behind us sooner and make sure that we get everybody back to work as soon as we possibly can,” Lamont said.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker on Wednesday signed an emergency order requiring the use of face masks at essential retail businesses in the city, including convenience stores, grocery stores, pharmacies, package stores, restaurants and big-box stores.
And Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo encouraged the use of masks after his town had an increase of 105 positive-testing residents from Tuesday to Wednesday, for a total of 499. Town officials attributed the jump to a delay in test results, some two-to-three weeks old, being inputted in the state’s computer system.
“The alarming issue here is that many of these people may have been asymptomatic and continued their daily business interacting with family, going outdoors or to the supermarket, unknowingly exposing countless others,” he said.
In other developments around Connecticut:
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PRISONER LAWSUIT
Connecticut’s attorney general’s office on Wednesday asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by prisoners who say they are not being adequately protected from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lawsuit, filed on April 3, seeks an emergency order that could force the state to release prisoners deemed to be most at risk of contracting the coronavirus or require changes in how they are incarcerated.
Dan Barrett, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, argued the state has not done enough to keep the prisons clean, keep inmates at an appropriate social distance and provide them with adequate medical care.
“You have inmates trying to clean their cells with a bar of soap,” he said after the hearing. “You still have people at certain facilities living in bunk rooms with like 100 other people, sleeping within 2 feet of someone else. That’s just whistling past the graveyard to allow that.”
Connecticut has one reported inmate death related to COVID-19.
Assistant Attorney General James Belforti argued during the hearing, held as a conference call, that the executive branch - not the courts - has the authority to decide whether to release inmates early or change the conditions of their confinement.
Waterbury Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis did not immediately rule on the state’s motion to dismiss.
The Correction Department has reported that 133 staff members and 199 inmates have tested positive for the new coronavirus, including 117 prisoners who have been moved into isolation at the state’s supermax Northern Correctional Institution in Somers.
The agency said it has been working to fast-track the release of eligible inmates who are most at risk from COVID-19 and are those who are pre-approved for parole and alternative programs, halfway houses and home confinements.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.
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SUPPLEMENTAL FEDERAL EMERGENCY REQUEST
Governor Ned Lamont announced Wednesday he has submitted a supplementary request seeking 100% federal reimbursement for the state’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, noting “the human and fiscal costs to Connecticut are staggering.” Under the state’s current disaster declaration, recently approved by President Donald Trump, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse 75% of eligible COVID-19 expenses for the state and local governments, eligible nonprofits and tribal nations.
Under federal regulations, the state is eligible to seek 100% federal reimbursement if it’s warranted. In his letter, Lamont said the global pandemic, “with catastrophic and cascading effects on all aspects of American life, is just such a circumstance.”
Lamont thanked Trump in the request for previously approving 100% federal reimbursement of costs associated with activating the Connecticut National Guard during the state’s emergency response.
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Associated Press Writer Dave Collins contribute to this report.
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