State’s 1st coronavirus death

Ridgefield man, 88, died Wednesday morning at Danbury Hospital

An 88-year-old former resident of a Ridgefield assisted-living facility died Wednesday morning at Danbury Hospital, becoming the state’s first coronavirus fatality. A somber Gov. Ned Lamont said outside the state Capitol that the death of the unidentified man comes two weeks after the first coronavirus case was reported in the state, also in Danbury.

Lamont said while the state’s first death had to be expected, it was still “a shock because it makes this so real for all of our families . ... Nobody can plan for this wave that’s breaking over our country right now. It’s coming faster than we could have ever expected.”

The deceased man had been a resident of Benchmark Senior Living at Ridgefield Crossing, on

Route 7, said Renee D. ColemanMitchell, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health. She said no other residents there had tested positive.

The number of those infected statewide totaled 96 by late afternoon, including 28 new cases, out of 700 tested. Officials in Fairfield and Bridgeport said residents there have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

In a statement, Benchmark Senior Living said the man was admitted to the hospital on Monday, and that as soon as his diagnosis was confirmed, the facility contacted health authorities and quarantined residents who had “high exposure” with the man.

Coleman-Mitchell said the infection had also reached an elderly man who had been a

resident at the Evergreen Health Care Center in Stafford Springs and is now hospitalized nearby. She said two other residents are also being monitored there for possible infection.

Lamont asked medical and dental professionals for donations of extra gowns, sterile gloves and other protective gear that they might not be using, in case the outbreak overwhelms the medical infrastructure in the coming weeks. The governor is also on the lookout for potential sites to house recovering patients and those who only need intermediate care, if the expected increase in infections requires more than the 1,200 available beds in the state’s hospitals.

While encouraged by the U.S. Senate’s ratification Wednesday of a $1 trillion aid package, including a $200 billion supplemental appropriation, he warned that the federal government needs to do more to help Connecticut workers who are sick to stay home and still get paid.

In the day’s fast-moving developments, the governors of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania governors joined Lamont in ordering retail shopping malls, amusement parks and bowling alleys in the four states to close by 8 p.m. Thursday.

“One more place where people are likely to congregate,” Lamont said. “One more place where people might get infected. And we’re doing this, you know, out of love for each and every one of the citizens of this great state.”

In addition, Lamont asked that day care centers attempt to remain open so hospital workers and first responders can remain on the front lines.

Earlier in the day Lamont announced that state environmental regulators will temporarily suspend the enforcement of the state’s bottle-deposit law, giving retailers some relief in the pandemic.

The potential effect for consumers are more bags of returnables on the front porch. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is trying to make it easier for supermarkets and grocers to focus on keeping their shelves stocked, their employees safe and enhancing cleaning efforts in their stores to stifle the spread of the coronavirus.

DEEP noted that most independent bottle bill redemption centers in the state remain open. The DEEP also recommends that people workers redeeming bottles in centers, groceries and package stores wear nitrile gloves to avoid bacteria and viruses including COVID-19 that can stay alive on surfaces for prolonged periods.

In addition, the state’s top administrative judge announced further service reductions, including the closure of some courthouses and ordering employees to work from home if they can. Smaller courthouses, including the ones in Norwalk and Derby, as well as the courthouse on Golden Hill Street in Bridgeport, will be closed as of Thursday.

The state Department of Public Health has issued a suggestion to massage therapists, hairdressers, nail salons, cosmetologists and others that they consider closing because of the close proximity their workers get to clients at a time when social distancing is of paramount public health importance. The personalcare industry has not been subject to Lamont’s executive orders closing bars, restaurant, recreational facilities and movie theaters.

In responses, some local health directors, including those in Westport and Milford, have ordered local hair cutters to close immediately.

Also on Wednesday, Chief Administrative Judge Patrick Carroll III ordered further curtailment of court activity that began last week with the postponement of pending jury trials.

Carroll announced that many court staff will be allowed to work from home, and that juvenile matters will be heard only in Hartford and Bridgeport juvenile courthouses. Also, one building in each of the 13 Judicial Districts will be designated to handle priority functions, such as criminal arraignments; orders of relief from abuse; protection orders; orders of temporary custody; termination of parental rights; and other important hearings and reviews.

Courthouses that will remain open include the Supreme Court and judicial-district courts in Milford, Danbury, Bridgeport’s Main Street, Hartford, Torrington, Middletown, New Britain, New Haven, New London, Stamford, Rockville, Waterbury and Danielson.

It’s unclear how many court workers will be affected, but the department has 4,270 employees, includes judges, magistrates, and other full- and parttime employees.

“These are extraordinary times and require extraordinary measures,” Carroll said in a statement.” Our overarching challenge throughout the crisis has been to balance the constitutional obligation of the courts to remain open with protecting the health and safety of every individual who enters a state courthouse. Ultimately, we have determined that the plan announced today is the best option to achieve this balance.”

In other virus-related news on Wednesday:

⏩ Commissioner of Education Miguel Cardona said the state will ask the federal government for a waiver so public schools do not have to administer the annual Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium test for third through eighth grade this spring. A decision has yet to be made on the school-administered SAT, which students use for college acceptance, as well as a standardized test for high school juniors, he said at the state Capitol.

“Although we find value in assessments …we don’t feel that if students are out for an extended period of time, bringing them back to school and sitting them down to take assessments is the best way to use their time,” Cardona said at the governor’s daily briefing on the coronavirus outbreak. Cardona is hopeful that the school year will not be canceled.

⏩ During a virtual town hall meeting, University of Conncticut President Tom Katsouleas said the Mohegan Tribe has notified Lamont that the Mohegan Sun Resort Casino’s hotel accommodations, which have shut down, could be used to house future patients if the coronavirus necessitates. Currently, state health experts believe that the 9,000 beds in nearly 30 state hospitals should be adequate to deal with expected infections, if the state continues an effort at social distancing.

⏩ Access Health CT, the state’s program under the federal Affordable Care Act, will open a new enrollment period for qualified uninsured residents. For eligibility requirements, people should call the program at 1-855-9092428 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

⏩ Statewide bus ridership is down between 50 and 80 percent. The state Department of Transportation is encouraging people to use buses only for essential travel. Service is still on a normal schedule, and buses are “being cleaned and sanitized on a daily basis,” with focus on surfaces that are main touch points, said Kevin Nursick, DOT spokesman.

“We have a lot of folks that are reliant on bus service to get to work,” including many health care workers, he said. “A lot of people rely on the people on the buses for their basic care. It’s not a simple matter of shutting down the bus services.”

⏩ With construction season coming up in April, the DOT is conferring with contractors on how to sanitize equipment and keep groups of workers from congregating in close areas, like at lunchtime on a job site.

Liz Teitz, Peter Yankowski and Linda Conner Lambeck contributed to this report.