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Here are the major news updates from today:
- Governor Lamont signed an executive order April 17 that enacts the following: Cloth face coverings or higher level of protection required in public wherever close contact is unavoidable and the postponement of presidential preference primary to August 11.
- A new app tracks your symptoms and you can also see how others around you are feeling without entering any personal information:
- There has been a surge in calls to CT’s domestic violence hotline. The Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence has resources available for victims and their friends and family. CCADV CEO Karen Jarmoc told the CT Mirror that “We continue to see the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on victims as they cope with issues such as unemployment and decreased access to basic necessities.”
- “The Connecticut Department of Labor provided $83 million in benefits this past week and has now processed 327,000 of the 402,000 applications the agency has received since March 13, when unemployment began to spike due to the pandemic and resulting business closures. In the past five weeks, the agency has now provided $230 million in unemployment benefits,” according to the DOL’s press release.
- Governor Cuomo of New York said Wednesday that the state is building a “contact tracing army” with CT and NJ. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will help with the effort as well. Gov. Lamont said that talks had just begun.
- New private student loan relief has been announced by the governor’s office. The measures include providing a minimum of 90 days of forbearance, waiving late fees and ensuring that no borrower is subject to negative credit reporting. More info, including a list of participating loan servicers, here.
- RiteAid is providing self-swab COVID-19 testing in seven states including CT, according to WTNH.
- CVS, in partnership with Abbott Laboratories, opened a rapid testing site in New Haven at 60 Sargent Drive, the former Gateway Community College. New Haven Register has more.
- Relief measures for residential renters in CT can be found here.
- You can find the Governor’s safe workplace rules for essential businesses here.
- The Hartford Courant has a special remembrance page for those who died in CT. Hearst CT Media Group also has a page dedicated to the lives lost from COVID-19.
- “The Connecticut Historical Society needs your help documenting life during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.” The Hartford Courant has more.
- Brewery, winery and other liquor permit holders may now home deliveries now available per the Governor’s executive order. Hartford Business Journal has more.
- DEEP has released stricter guidelines in response to the high volume of visitors at state parks and trails. More information from DEEP here. Because people are finding it difficult to maintain effective social distancing measures at certain public parks, DEEP has been announcing various closures as needed on social media.
- For information about the CT Dept. of Banking’s 90-day grace period for mortgages, visit the state site here.
- Gov. Lamont has asked the private sector to help supply the state with personal protective equipment (PPE). The state’s request for PPE can be found here.
- Volunteers are needed around the state. Find out more information here.
Positive COVID19 tests to date: 23,100
