#Connecticut reports zero coronavirus deaths for first time since March

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Respiratory therapist Jennyfer Ramirez wheels a ventilator through the intensive care unit where coronavirus patients are being treated at Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Hearst Connecticut Media via AP

Connecticut officials reported zero coronavirus deaths Tuesday for the first time since March.

The good news came as Gov. Ned Lamont announced he would be pausing Connecticut’s third phase of reopening, “erring on the side of caution” after seeing spikes in cases in other states.

Bars will remain closed and indoor gatherings will be limited to 25 people while outdoor events are capped at 100 people.

“We never opened our bars,” Lamont said during his Tuesday news briefing, ABC7 reported. “We never opened our restaurant up to 50 percent capacity. Let’s take a pause. Let’s keep it to 25 percent inside and 100 people outside.”

The state, which is coordinating its safety measures with New York and New Jersey, reported 57 new cases from 5,745 tests on Tuesday, bringing Connecticut total caseload to 47,033, with a positivity rate of nearly one percent.

Connecticut has seen an increase in hospitalizations, though, rising by 14 from Monday to Tuesday. But Lamont dismissed any concern, reasoning that admissions to hospitals have been consistent and the rate is increasing due to fewer discharges.

“We’ve added between about 20 and 30 new COVID cases a day into our hospitals,” Lamont said. “That’s consistent. That’s been consistent for the last few weeks. What is happened is there are many fewer discharges. It’s not something I worry about, just something I note to you.”

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut on Tuesday also updated their quarantine list, adding three states from which travelers will have to self-isolate for 14 days upon their arrival.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his partnering governors announced that travelers from nearby Delaware, as well as Kansas and Oklahoma, now meet coronavirus criteria to qualify for the tri-state quarantine rule, increasing the list total to nineteen states.

“As states around the country experience increasing community spread, New York is taking action to ensure the continued safety of our phased reopening,” Cuomo said in a statement. “Our entire response to this pandemic has been by the numbers, and we’ve set metrics for community spread just as we set metrics for everything.”