Coronavirus 'Red Zones' Again Almost Engulf All Of Connecticut

CONNECTICUT — Connecticut again is awash in coronavirus "red zones" this week, as all but seven of the state's 169 communities are on high alert for virus infections, according to the latest data from the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

To fall into the red zone, a community must have 15 or more coronavirus cases per 100,000 people, and with winter upon us, Connecticut as a whole could stay in the red for several weeks. See the alert level chart below.

The state's coronavirus positivity rate currently stands at 6.48 percent, which is above the 5 percent threshold that states want to stay below. Connecticut added another 576 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Thursday, and hospitalizations are continuing to climb.

Despite this winter uptick in cases, Gov. Ned Lamont told members of the Connecticut Restaurant Association earlier this week that he would not close restaurants as the state did in March 2020, reported the Connecticut Mirror.

"You're staying open," Lamont told the group, which had gathered for an industry conference at Foxwoods Resort Casino.

What is helping to keep restaurants and other businesses open is Connecticut's vaccination rate, which reportedly stands at about 73 percent of the population for full vaccinations, with about 85 percent of Connecticut's population receiving one dose of vaccine, according to The New York Times.

See also: Higher Insurance Premiums For Unvaccinated?: CT News Digest

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For a town-by-town breakdown of new COVID-19 cases and related information in Connecticut, see the Connecticut Data Portal.