UPDATE: This report was edited at 10:15 am on Monday, April 20 to correct a conflict between Gov Lamont's April 17 press release and subsequent Executive Order on upgraded face shielding.

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Governor Ned Lamont delivered a glimpse of hope in his daily press advisory Saturday, April 18.

“For the first time since the start of this pandemic, today we saw the number of COVID-19 positive patients in our hospitals decline,” Governor Lamont said.

“This is providing us with some hope, and is a sign that our social distancing measures are having an impact. But one day of data alone does not mean we are out of the woods and can return to life as normal," Lamont added. "Many of our hospitals and nursing homes remain under great stress, and our front line workers continue to battle this virus around the clock. But we have shown that with proper measures in place, we can slow down the spread of the virus.”

Saturday, Connecticut's count of positive coronavirus cases stood at 17,550, with 1,938 hospitalized, and 1,089 COVID-19 related deaths.

Health District Director Donna Culbert, who covered a range of issues in the latest town video outrach message, said Saturday's state Department of Public Health report for Newtown is at 67 positive cases.

And in his latest Code Red message April 17, First Selectman Dan Rosenthal focused more specifically on a subject he also touched upon in his earlier video outreach message produced in partnership with The Newtown Bee.

View the video message below:

In his April 17 evening Code Red phone message, Rosenthal observed, "while still early, our collective efforts appear to be having success in flattening the curve in our fight against coronavirus. As such, discussions are beginning to take shape at all levels of government around how and when we reopen."

The first selectman said "as humans we are wired to try to assign certainty to things that are yet uncertain. What we do know is that the process will be one that is phased and well thought out. It will also not include giving up on social distancing and other measures to prevent disease spread."

More to the point, Rosenthal ventured that any ability to get back to normal is predicated on a "diligence in following the present path we are on, which now includes wearing face coverings in public places, not getting together in groups that you don’t live with and continuing with hand washing, among others. An early retreat on this front will only lead to a likely reset and much longer stay at home orders."

'Hard To Process'

"As hope collides with anxiety," Rosenthal said, "all this becomes very hard to process. How can we talk about getting back to normal when people are still sick and dying? How can we talk about normalcy when it is likely that vulnerable populations may have to stay isolated for longer periods of time?

"None of these questions have obvious answers except to say, our country was built on hope and most of our biggest challenges have been overcome through shared sacrifice, which is exactly why we will put this behind us sooner rather than later," the first selectman projected.

"While I remain hopeful, it’s important we continue to keep those that are sick and those we have lost in our thoughts and prayers and give thanks for all of the people working so hard at great risk to keep us safe," Rosenthal added.

In the meantime, he urged residents to "continue to check on your neighbors and support our local businesses to the extent possible," and he closed stating, "I am so proud of our town and I know we will continue to pull together by staying apart for a little longer."

Updated Order On Masks

Meanwhile, earlier Friday Governor Ned Lamont signed another executive order — the 29th since he enacted the emergency declarations — that builds on efforts to encourage mitigation strategies to slow transmissions of the virus.

Executive Order 7BB enacts the following two provisions regarding face covering and a new state Primary date:

Cloth face coverings or higher level of protection required in public wherever close contact is unavoidable:

Effective at 8 pm on Monday, April 20, any person in a public place in Connecticut who is unable to or does not maintain a safe social distance of approximately six feet from every other person shall cover their mouth and nose with a mask or cloth face-covering.

In addition, individuals shall use a mask or cloth face covering when using the services of any taxi, car, livery, ride-sharing or similar service or means of mass public transit, or while within any semi-enclosed transit stop or waiting area.

The commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development will be required to update the previously issued Safe Workplace rules and Safe Store rules.

Nothing in this order shall require the use of a mask or cloth face covering by anyone for whom doing so would be contrary to his or her health or safety because of a medical condition, anyone under the age of 2 years, or by an older child if the parent, guardian, or person responsible for the child is unable to place the mask safely on the child’s face.

If a person declines to wear a mask or face covering because of a medical condition as described above, such person shall not be required to produce medical documentation verifying the stated condition.

Further postponement of presidential preference primary to August 11:

To protect the health and safety of voters, poll workers, and the most vulnerable members of the population, the presidential primary is ordered rescheduled — for the second time — to August 11. This is the same date that state and local primaries had already been scheduled to be held.

The primary had originally been scheduled to be held April 28, and then the governor rescheduled it to June 2 with Executive Order No. 7G. Friday’s order supersedes that previously enacted order.

“To protect the health and safety of voters, poll workers, and the most vulnerable populations, it just makes most sense to extend the date out to August,” Lamont said. “I appreciate the continued contact with Secretary [of State Denise] Merrill, as well as all of our town clerks and registrars who’ve worked with us each step of the way through this crisis to respond and make necessary adjustments.

Merrill supported Lamont's decision the rescheduling.

“This date change will allow us to make it easier to protect the health and safety of voters and local election officials, prepare for the anticipated increase in demand for absentee ballots, save towns money, and let voters make their voices heard in the presidential primary process, all by holding one primary instead of two,” she said.

'Talk It Out' Hotline Launched

Parents and caretakers in need of help with the stress and increased needs resulting from caring for their children during the COVID-19 crisis are invited to call the state’s new “Talk It Out” hotline to receive assistance.

An initiative of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, the hotline provides support from trained professionals who will listen and speak with those in need about their concerns and, if additional help is needed, refer them to responsive services.

Parents and caretakers are invited to call 1-833-258-5011 or visit www.talkitoutct.com.

Lamont said reaching out for support and help is a healthy way for a family to respond to increased stress.

“Seeking help and support at times like these is a sign of strength and hope,” the governor said. “It is normal, and we all need help at times — especially now.”

In other state news April 17, AdvanceCT, the nonprofit organization that works to advance overall economic competitiveness in Connecticut, launched a second survey for the state’s businesses with the goal of providing continued feedback to state policymakers regarding how businesses have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

Results of the survey will be used to prioritize economic recovery initiatives. The survey is developed in partnership with the Department of Economic and Community Development and the Connecticut Business and Industry Association.

Businesses interested in participating in this survey can access it by CLICKING HERE

On Friday, the state's Banking Commissioner Jorge Perez issued COVID-19 stimulus check guidance to Connecticut chartered banks and credit unions.

This week Connecticut residents began to see their stimulus money directly deposited into their accounts. In keeping with the intent of the program that these monies be used to meet the basic needs of residents, Commissioner Perez issued guidance to Connecticut state-chartered financial institutions urging them to not use stimulus funds deposited into accounts to offset outstanding debts customers and members may have with their financial institution.

The guidance comes in response to Governor Lamont’s continuing directive to state agencies to identify ways to assist Connecticut residents.

Other Resources, Links

Also, the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services (DRS) launched a new assistance program on Friday specifically designed to help taxpayers subject to current DRS collections matters, who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DRS Priority One Taxpayer Assistance Program (Priority One) is available to business and individual taxpayers who may be unable to meet their current collections obligations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Any taxpayer who is the subject of a payment plan, bank warrant, wage execution, or other levy by DRS and needs relief or assistance because of the impact of COVID-19, can contact DRS directly to speak to a tax professional.

Acting Revenue Services Commissioner John Biello said, with every person and business having been impacted by COVID-19, "it is important now, more than ever, for taxpayers to know DRS is committed to working with them.

“In keeping with the DRS mission of providing the highest level of customer service, this new program connects taxpayers with a DRS professional, who will review individual circumstances and determine what relief may be available,” he added.

Anyone in need of assistance can contact the DRS Priority One Taxpayer Assistance Program at 860-541-7650 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm) or DRSPriorityOne_CollectionsAssist@po.state.ct.us.

In order to assist DRS in evaluating e-mail inquiries, taxpayers are encouraged to provide as much information as possible about their situation and the relief that is being sought.

For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, including an FAQ, other guidance and resources, and a way to ask questions, Newtown residents are encouraged to visit ct.gov/coronavirus.

Individuals who have general questions that are not answered on the website can also call 211 for assistance. The hotline and corresponding website is available 24 hours a day and has multilingual assistance and TDD/TTY access.

The Newtown Bee is continuing to provide and mirror information and messages coming from local and state agencies on a daily and sometimes hourly basis. Newtown residents can get more details by visiting:

*Town of Newtown COVID-19 web page: CLICK HERE

*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: CLICK HERE

Residents can also review all prior COVID-19 updates and follow the newspaper’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages for breaking local and state reports.

Please check in regularly, share, and follow the newspaper’s hyperlocal coverage at newtownbee.com through the remainder of this public health emergency.