Lamont: 728 new coronavirus cases confirmed in Connecticut; 88 new deaths

HARTFORD, CT – As the State of Connecticut continues taking actions in response to the global spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Governor Ned Lamont provided the following updates as of 8:00 p.m. on Monday, April 27, 2020:

Data updates on testing in Connecticut

The following is a summary of the day-to-day newly reported data on cases, deaths, and tests in Connecticut. It is important to note that these newly reported updates include data that occurred over the last several days to a week. All data in this report are preliminary, and data for previous dates will be updated as new reports are received and data errors are corrected.

*New today: A total of 90,746 COVID-19 tests have been reported to DPH to date. This count replaces the total number of patients tested for COVID-19 and includes persons who were tested multiple times or multiple specimens tested from the same person.

County-by-county breakdown:

For several additional graphs and tables containing more data, including a list of cases in every municipality, visit ct.gov/coronavirus.

Connecticut Office of Early Childhood launches child care program for frontline workers

The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood has launched the CTCARES for Frontline Workers Program, which was created to help frontline workers struggling with the costs of child care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program provides subsidies directly to child care providers so that children can get the care they need while their parents or guardians are able to get to work.

Under the program, frontline workers include anyone who must work outside of their own home for at least 8 hours a week caring for people or providing in-person direct services and essential goods. Some examples of frontline workers may include:

• Health care workers
• First responders
• Child care workers
• Grocery workers
• Workers at state facilities
• Home/group home care workers (for seniors, youth, mental health, or people with disabilities)
• People who provide in-person services to any of the above

The subsidy depends on the number of children in the household who need care and the number of hours the frontline worker needs to work.

If a frontline employee works 21 or more hours each week:

• For one child, $200 each week for up to 6 weeks
• For 2 or more children, up to a maximum of $500 per family each week for up to 6 weeks

If a frontline employee works 8 to 20 hours each week:

• For one child, $100 each week for up to 6 weeks
• For 2 or more children, up to a maximum of $250 per family each week for up to 6 weeks

This program is ineligible to anyone already participating in the Care 4 Kids program, and there is a family income limit of up to 85 percent of the state median income to qualify. Applications are being accepted from Monday, April 27 through Friday, May 22, 2020. To apply, call 1-800-505-1000.

For more information, including details on who qualifies, read about the program on the Office of Early Childcare’s website.

Governor Lamont encourages residents to sign up for the state’s CTAlert notification system

Governor Lamont is encouraging Connecticut residents to sign up for CTAlert, the state’s emergency alert system, which provides text message notifications to users. To subscribe, text the keyword COVIDCT to 888-777.

Providing information to Connecticut residents

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 2-1-1 for assistance. The hotline is available 24 hours a day and has multilingual assistance and TDD/TTY access. It intended to be used by individuals who are not experiencing symptoms but may have general questions related to COVID-19. Anyone experiencing symptoms is strongly urged to contact their medical provider.