From our State Senator, Norm Needleman.
As of 3:30 p.m. Monday, April 13, 2020, roughly 42,500 customers in Connecticut, roughly 3.5 percent of the state, are experiencing power outages. This is the result of a nasty storm system that caused tornados across much of the southern East Coast Sunday rising across Connecticut, with winds of 25-35 miles per hour and gusts of up to 65 miles per hour possible until 7 p.m. this evening.
Anyone who loses power should report outages to Eversource at 1-800-286-2000 or through Eversource.com. Eversource.com is also an important resource as it contains maps of outages and potential restoration times.
Please Remember To:
- Keep phones and electronic devices charged. Driving for a few minutes can help recharge devices that lose battery power.
- Stay home – do not go for walks, as high winds can carry debris or knock down trees.
- Move cars away from trees that could drop branches. Bring in patio furniture.
- Fill containers with drinking water and fill bathtub with water to flush toilets.
- Generators should be set up and run away from closed spaces and away from homes.
- If a wire is downed, always assume it is live, avoid touching it, do not drive over it and do not move it. Call 911.
- Maintain social distancing despite a power outage. In the event of a medical emergency, call 911 and give first responders plenty of distance for safe response.
Schools To Remain Closed Through May 20
Due to an executive order signed by Governor Lamont, schools will remain closed through May 20 as a continuing result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools can provide a vector for significant disease spread.
Closures Extended
Governor Lamont also extended the deadlines for closures of businesses through May 20, a difficult prospect in the face of the continuing pandemic. Under an executive order, limits on restaurants and bars, gyms, recreation facilities, movie theaters, shopping malls and other similar restrictions stay in place through then. Additionally, safety and distancing measures for workplaces and non-essential businesses, prohibition of recreational gatherings of more than five people and other safety standards put into place to fight COVID-19 will continue to be in effect as well.
Rent Protections Through Executive Order
This past weekend, Governor Lamont signed a new executive order designed to protect renters during the continuing COVID-19 crisis. As of this week, landlords are now prohibited from issuing notices to quit or beginning eviction proceedings before July 1 except for instances of serious nuisance, such as physically harming another individual. Landlords must grant tenants a 60-day grace period for rent due in April 2020.
For rent due in May 2020, landlords must grant a 60-day grace period for payment if a tenant informs them they have lost employment, hours or revenue, or experienced increased expenses, as a result of COVID-19.
If a tenant has a paid security deposit of more than one month’s rent, a tenant can apply part or all of the excess to April, May or June rent if they have lost employment or revenue.
Recovery Centers
The state’s long-term care facilities will collaborate with the state on a “medical surge plan” that will establish COVID-19 recovery centers in nursing homes. These locations will accept patients who are well enough to be discharged from acute care hospitals but are still recovering from the effects of COVID-19. This action will protect residents of nursing homes and sequester potentially infectious individuals in safe environments where they can receive medical care. At least 500 new beds will be available in Torrington, Bridgeport, Meriden and Sharon in addition to more than 2,000 currently available ones.
Work From Home Scams
With many people working from home, the state Department of Consumer Protection, the Better Business Bureau serving Connecticut and Attorney General William Tong are warning families about work from home scams targeting vulnerable workers.
These scams often involve individuals re-shipping packages received from others, “inspecting” and re-shipping them, and never receiving compensation for them. The items are often purchased with stolen funds, putting victims in potential legal trouble and possibly exposing them to fraud and identity theft.
If an offer is too good to be true, it probably is. Offers of large amounts of money are likely scams and no legitimate company will charge money to apply for a job or to begin work. Research a company if you have questions about their practices – if they are a scam, search history will indicate it.
Unemployment Update
The Connecticut Department of Labor has provided more than $35 million in benefits payments to more than 100,000 claimants as of April 4, working to meet the demands of the more than 300,000 unemployment claims filed since March 13.
The DOL has processed approximately 133,000 of over 302,000 applications. The $35 million figure is more than double what was provided in the previous week. While there is a six-week backlog, Labor Commissioner Kurt Westby said staff is working long hours to accommodate applicants and federal programs providing further unemployment benefits. All eligible claims will be processed, paid and retroactive to the date they were filed. While there have been delays in claim processing, that is a national trend due to the unprecedented changes forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unemployed residents who have not yet filed for unemployment should visit www.filectui.com, and click a message reading “For quicker payment of unemployment benefits, please follow these instructions.” That link leads to a guide that will ensure they file the claim in a manner that will speed up claim processing.
Further updates to unemployment will be posted to www.ctdol.state.ct.us.
PPE Donations
Connecticut leaders continue to seek donations of personal protective equipment from people, businesses and organizations for use in hospitals and long-term care facilities. Incredibly, Connecticut has so far risen to this challenge, with more than 2,000 offers to donate already made by groups and individuals, but demand remains high. If you have personal protective equipment to donate, please visit this link.
