Connecticut’s coronavirus positivity rate reached 6.1 percent overnight — the highest it has been since June 1, Gov. Ned Lamont said Thursday.
Out of 21,739 COVID-19 tests performed, 1,319 were positive — and the number “may be a harbinger of things to come,” he warned.
“I look hard to find the silver lining and I can’t find it in these numbers except perhaps the fact that we’ve done a lot of testing,” Lamont said. “It’s going to get worse before it gets better, but we’re going to weather it together.”
By contrast, New York’s positivity rate was 1.48 percent overnight, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Lamont added that 11 new towns have been placed on “red alert,” bringing the state’s total to 30 towns, accounting for about one-third of the state’s population. The affected towns are “primarily” in Southeast Connecticut, Lamont said.
The state places a town on red alert if it reports 15 new cases per 100,000 residents, excluding infections associated with congregate settings like prisons and nursing homes, Lamont said.
Another 53 towns are on orange alert, which indicates that they’re trending toward red, Lamont said.
Lamont said that towns on red or orange alert can revert back to phase two of the state’s reopening plan. The state moved to phase three of reopening “less than a month ago,” he noted.
Rolling back to phase two means reducing capacity in businesses such as restaurants and barbers to 50 percent from 75 percent. The rollback would also shutter indoor performance spaces, which were partially reopened under phase three, and decrease the size of a maximum gathering from 50 people to 25.
Lamont’s administration is in talks with other governors about what to do with regards to winter sports, he said, noting that hundreds of infections in Massachusetts have been traced to hockey events.
“Whether it’s hockey rinks, restaurants or “bars masquerading as restaurants,” Lamont said he’s weighing whether stronger enforcement of coronavirus-related business restrictions are necessary.
“I’m doing everything I can to keep our economy going. I’m doing everything I can to allow us to have some level of normalcy,” he said.
Lamont he views Europe as the “canary in the coal mine,” with several countries there beginning to roll back their reopenings, closing some businesses and implementing curfews. Both France and Germany announced new restrictions on Wednesday.
New cases of the virus and the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 have been rising across much of the Northern hemisphere as colder weather sets in.
“We always knew that in October, November, December with the colder weather and the flu season, we are going to see a second wave. I was hoping that it was more gradual. Today may be a harbinger that it’s steeper than that,” he said.
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Connecticut’s COVID-19 positivity rate soars to 6.1% overnight - New York Post
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