Number Of States On CT Coronavirus Quarantine List Doubles

CONNECTICUT — The governors of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey have added eight more states onto the 14-day quarantine list for travelers into the tri-state area, doubling the number in less than week since the program's inception.

California, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada and Tennessee now join Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah on the list of states whose residents must quarantine for two weeks when entering the area.

States get added onto the quarantine list if they have a new daily COVID-19 positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents, or a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.

On Monday, Lamont doubled down on his decision to join New York and New Jersey in the quarantine program. He referenced a growing cluster of Westchester County cases that is being linked to graduation events. One of the teens who attended had recently traveled to Florida.

The tide of Connecticut coronavirus cases has been receding. The state reported another 59 cases out of 6,354 results on Monday, which keeps its positive test rate below 1 percent. Another four deaths were reported on Monday. But elsewhere in the country, the infection picture is less rosy, as some states are being challenged by quickly growing case numbers and new record daily highs.

Teen Summer Job Outlook Improves

For Connecticut teens who are managing to stay healthy, summer job prospects took a turn for the better on Tuesday. Lamont announced that he is authorizing the state to release $2 million from the Coronavirus Relief Funds to expand the Connecticut Youth Employment Program. That initiative provides young people with year-round employment opportunities with community-based agencies throughout the state.

"Not only will this help more youths gain employment during this difficult time, but it will also enhance the critical efforts of community health agencies in their response to the pandemic," Lamont said. "Connecticut has persistent health equity gaps that impact communities of color – this virus and its impact on health and the economy is no different. Increasing our investment in youth employment programs not only helps our young people, but will also make a difference for community health."

The investment comes from Connecticut's portion of the federal CARES Act funding. It will be added to the $4.5 million the state previously allocated for the program, as well as $637,600 from the Youth Employment and Training Collaboration, a collaborative of the Department of Children and Families and CTDOL, giving the program a total of $7.1 million this year.