On April 15, Health District Director Donna Culbert shared with The Newtown Bee that she has regrettably been notified of three Newtown residents who have died and are considered COVID-19 associated deaths. All three were from the more common demographic of victims — one was over age 65, and two were older than 80.

“Out of respect for these poor souls, and their survivors who have been forced to grapple with administrative details while for the most part grieving in solitude because of current gathering restrictions, I’ve held off on reporting these deaths through our local media partnership,” Culbert said.

“As I am sensitive to the stigma that can come when COVID-19 cases are identified, and out of respect for the survivors’ privacy, I will not be including any added details except to say that none of these cases posed any immediate threat of exposure to others in the general public," the health director added. "My heart aches for those who have suffered the loss of a loved one to COVID-19, as well as any other cause, during this difficult time when we have to remain apart."

First Selectman Dan Rosenthal also expressed condolences to the victims’ families, and agreed that a single weekly update on local COVID-related fatalities at this time is appropriate.

"While we have taken strides to keep the public informed as to the number of cases in the community and overall risk to the public, I have been in support of our Health Director's approach to the privacy surrounding deaths related to COVID," Rosenthal said. "Unfortunately, discourse around the pandemic ends up reducing things to numbers and that shouldn't happen when it comes to a loved one's passing. I know I speak for our entire community in sending our sincere condolences to the families of those that we have lost due to the virus, not just in our town but across our nation and the globe."

If there was any more positive news locally, as of April 15, Newtown's number of COVID positive cases was adjusted by the state down from 64 to 61.

Earlier in the week, Connecticut's COO Josh Geballe told reporters the administrative unit that produces state stats and data on the COVID situation was working to not only deliver the quantity of information being requested by medical, government, resident, and media representatives, but was focused on providing those details with near perfect accuracy. Over the period of time the state has been reporting positive cases, Culbert has seen Newtown's case numbers adjusted.

Statewide, Governor Ned Lamont reported Wednesday that a total of 14,755 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported with 1,908 currently hospitalized and 868 COVID-19-associated deaths.

Fairfield County cases have risen to 6,480 with 365 deaths.

At his daily press briefing Lamont recognized the extreme challenges being faced by families living in multi-generational and extended family environments that could enhance the risk of transmission, but also takes a toll because nobody can go out to social gatherings or work.

The governor also asked all members of the public to wear some type of mask whenever they were out in public. He was particularly concerned that employees in retail locations like grocery stores always be wearing masks to help control transmission of the virus.

Lamont said he would be issuing an order with specific directives on the application of personal masks directly.

He also asked Department of Labor Commissioner Kurt Westby to expand on an earlier announcement regarding a new software improvement that was launched Tuesday that will significantly increase the speed at which unemployment claim applications can be processed. Paired with the continued manual processing, the originally anticipated six-week wait period will be shortened to one week or less.

The department has been operating on a 40-year-old computer system to process the claims, which the Lamont administration had been in the process of upgrading prior to the pandemic.

“Staff at the Department of Labor have been working around the clock to process these claims and implement desperately needed software upgrades, and I cannot overstate our appreciation to the public for their understanding during this unprecedented emergency,” Governor Lamont said.

“This required hundreds of hours of programming due to the complexity of the 40-year-old COBOL system, but the effort has certainly paid off as thousands of residents who applied for benefits will receive an e-mail from the Labor Department, notifying them that their claim has been processed and next steps to follow,” Labor Commissioner Kurt Westby said.

Claims takers have also been increased by five times the routine staff.

He said a fix to the processing system was piloted Tuesday on several hundred claims, and was scheduled to do a second batch of tens of thousands Wednesday.

Commissioner Westby today also announced that the processing for the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, which adds $600 in federal stimulus funds to every weekly state benefit payment, is scheduled to begin April 24. The additional funds will be included in Connecticut benefit payments the following week.

In addition, the Department of Labor expects to begin accepting claim applications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance – the federal program that provides benefits for self-employed individuals and independent contractors – by April 30.

Benefits for both programs will be retroactive to the date a person needed to apply.

FEMA Response Request

Lamont talked about a supplementary request he made earlier Wednesday with the support of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation to the President of the United States for enhanced federal financial support toward the state’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The governor is requesting that the federal government enhance its support to Connecticut citizens by authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) cover 100 percent of the costs Connecticut has incurred to save lives and protect public health and safety and to the extend financial assistance directly to affected Connecticut residents.

Further, the governor’s letter confirms that President Trump’s March 27 Major Disaster Declaration includes the tribal nations of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribal Nation; reiterates Connecticut’s request for access to FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program, which would provide direct assistance to residents; and requests Connecticut be made eligible for the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program should the president authorize states' access to the program.

Under the currently approved Major Disaster Declaration for Connecticut, FEMA will reimburse 75 percent of eligible COVID-19 expenses for state and local governments, as well as the tribal nations.

“The size and scope of this public health emergency is unprecedented,” Lamont said. “The president has acknowledged this in declaring a major disaster in every state in the nation. If approved, this request would bring much needed additional financial assistance to the state and our municipalities.”

Governor Lamont also thanked the president for the previously announced approval of 100 percent reimbursement for the costs associated with activation of the Connecticut National Guard, which is providing the state with support during emergency response to the pandemic.

Uninsured? Enroll Now

Uninsured Newtown residents are reminded that the Access Health CT (AHCT) New Special Enrollment Period for Connecticut’s uninsured population ends this Friday, April 17. Uninsured individuals can sign up for health insurance coverage through Access Health CT during this time.

The effective date for coverage for enrollments during the New Special Enrollment Period completed after Thursday, April 2, will be May 1. The only way to sign up for this New Special Enrollment Period is by calling 855-365-2428.

In the last month, 1,920 previously uninsured residents have enrolled in health insurance plans through the New Special Enrollment Period.

“We are experiencing a public health crisis,” said Access Health CT Chief Executive Officer James Michel. “In addition to social distancing and staying home, making sure that you are covered with a quality health insurance plan is a great way to help you and your family stay healthy. If you are uninsured, make sure to call before midnight on Friday.”

Individuals who experience a Qualifying Life Event, e.g. losing coverage due to job change, moving to Connecticut, getting married, having/adopting a child, etc. OR qualify for Medicaid/Children’s Health Program (CHIP), can always enroll online, in-person or over the phone and all help is free.

For more information, visit www.AccessHealthCT.com

Fed Help For Farmers

In Washington, DC Wednesday, April 15, Connecticut's US Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal co-signed a bipartisan letter to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue urging the Trump Administration to provide relief for local farmers who are struggling as the nation works to combat the spread of COVID-19.

The senators urged USDA to ensure that a portion of the $9.5 billion they secured in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, goes to local farmers who sell directly to consumers, schools, institutions, food hubs, regional distribution centers, retail markets, farmers markets, and restaurants.

“We write today to emphasize the high level of damages being experienced by local food producers and to provide comments on fair allocation of the CARES payments,” the senators wrote.

In addition to urging USDA to ensure relief is getting to local farmers, the senators also:

*Pressed the department to administer direct payments through the Farm Service Agency in response to the local food industry’s projected $1.1 billion loss in revenue.

*Asked that in order to be eligible to receive a direct payment, local food producers should derive at least 25 percent of total farm income from sales that are locally purchased, including food sold directly to consumers.

*To reach new and underserved farmers, the senators requested that the Farm Service Agency waive requirements that farms obtain USDA farm numbers in order to participate in FSA-administered assistance programs during the 2020 crop year.

*Also urged USDA to establish a national hotline to manage incoming producer inquiries, simplify the application process, and make information about the program available in multiple languages.

For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, including an FAQ and other guidance and resources, 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

*World Health Organization - 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.