HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Two sisters in Ellington are doing their part to get COVID-19 vaccines to the state’s Muslim community.
Tehmina Naheed and her sister Sumrina Naheed and their family have hosted seven vaccination clinics at the Minhaj ul Quran Al-Noor Islamic Center. Tehmina Naheed said her phone usually starts ringing at 8 a.m. and doesn’t stop until 8 p.m. or 9 p.m.
With the help of their parents and two younger siblings, the sisters have overseen the vaccination of hundreds of people at the center. Perhaps more important, they have been a crucial source of information for the Muslim community and are able to explain the process in any of four languages.
“A lot of individuals are from back home,” Sumrina Naheed told the Hartford Courant. “They don’t get the gist of everything, so there has been a lot of explaining. They weren’t really trusting us unless we were working with them one-on-one and helping them out.”
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MORE COURTS REOPENING
More courts are scheduled to reopen in May as the state gradually eases COVID-19-related restrictions.
The state judiciary announced it will reopen geographical area courthouses in Derby, New London and Manchester; the Judicial District Courthouse in Putnam and juvenile court in Rockville on May 17.
Courthouses that already are open will handle an increased number of cases as the state seeks to reduce a case backlog brought on by the pandemic. That will be accomplished by staggering schedules throughout the day, according to a statement from the Judicial Branch.
The Judicial Branch plans to resume near normal operations within the next few months.
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VAX-ING FOR DOLLARS
Central Connecticut State University held an on-campus vaccine clinic on Sunday, offering a $50 housing credit to students for next fall who show proof of full vaccination.
Some students don’t need the incentive.
“I think it’s necessary because it will help everyone stay safe so that campus can kind of return to normal,” said CCSU freshman Rachel Breault, WVIT-TV reported.
The university said it hoped to vaccinate 800 preregistered students at the event, each receiving the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
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