Lamont urges earlier federal help

Connecticut death toll from virus hovers below 2,500

The governor’s office said that more federal intervention will be needed to limit the damage of the next worldwide public health crisis, a response to Hearst Connecticut Media’s special Sunday edition that explored the path forward for the state and country following the coronavirus pandemic.

“States, local governments, and private businesses must never again be put in the position where they are competing for personal protective equipment or medical equipment in order to save lives,” said Max Reiss, a spokesman for Gov. Ned Lamont.

The Road Ahead: Life After Covid-19 contained stories that examined how life will have changed in areas such as medicine, education, business and government. Experts in those fields and more wrote about how the state can heal and improve from the Covid-19 pandemic that has resulted in thousands of deaths and weeks of the state’s economy grinding to a halt.

The governor’s office statement also comes on the same day the governor announced a partnership with seven states to create a buying bloc for protective gear and hospital supplies.

“That issue is at the heart of the regional partnership announced today to address such bulk purchasing, as regional supply chains will make sure all of our respective states have the resources they need for the Fall wave, and provide a model for how to address these issues in the future.”

On Sunday, Lamont’s office said hospitalizations for COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus fell by 63 cases, bringing the total number hospitalized to 1,488.

The state recorded 59 new deaths from the disease, bringing to the total to 2,495.

The number of new cases was not released. On Saturday, the governor’s office said it would give a full report detailing the numbers from both Sunday and Monday combined.

State Rep. Vincent Candelora, deputy Republican leader, said a path to recovery will need to consider public transportation for the state’s urban centers, which he said have been hit hard by the pandemic.

“...So I think the state needs to focus on public transportation and how do we stop the spread on those vehicles,” Candelora said Sunday.

That might include reducing the number of people on a bus while adding more vehicles, and installing plexiglass inside to keep the virus from spreading, the state representative said.

He also pointed to a “major gap” in nursing homes, where hundreds of residents have died. Of the state’s more than 2,000 fatalities from the virus, Candelora said he believed around 60 percent were among residents of nursing homes or assisted living facilities.

Besides protective equipment, staffing and pay for workers, Candelora said the state will also need to look at the physical structure of the homes to stop the virus’ spread within. “It really just goes from room to room like its seeping through the walls,” he said.

On Sunday, Gov. Lamont announced the state would partner with New York and five other states to form a buying group for stocks of personal protective equipment and other supplies for hospitals.

“New York and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have been a very good neighbor for us,” Gov. Ned Lamont said during Cuomo’s teleconference.

“I wouldn’t mind having some of that New York buying power, thanks for sharing it with us,” said Lamont, who joined the press conference remotely.

Cuomo said New York will band together with five other states – Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island – to coordinate buying and producing needed equipment.

“The goal of this approach is to decrease the potential for disruptions in the supply chain for PPE and medical equipment, including sanitizer and ventilators, and testing, and promote regional economic development,” a spokesman for the governor’s office said.

The seven states have also banded together to gradually reopen their economies in coordination. But with shuttered businesses and the state facing a large number of unemployment claims, it’s unclear how quickly the economy will be able to recover.

Candelora, the state rep., raised concern that the state’s casinos and restaurants being closed would hurt its economic recovery. “I think we underestimate the impact of the hospital industry on our economy,” he said.

“From my vantage point on the economic side, you kind of start off with the survival of the fittest,” said David Lewis, CEO of OperationsInc., a Norwalk human resources firm. “The rich are going to continue to get richer, and the poor are continue to get poorer.”

He predicted a long economic recovery for the state. “Part of it comes down to the fact that we’re harder hit than most and we’re linked to New York,” said Lewis, adding that the state still hasn’t full recovered from the Great Recession of 2008.

“To me it feels like it will decade, maybe two,” he said. “That sounds like a reasonable amount of time, depending on how deep the hole we dig is.”