In a Vox news story published Wednesday, only two states comply with guidelines for reopening safely and Connecticut is not one of them.
However, Connecticut meets three of the five criterion and is showing strong progress. In the Governor’s New Briefing today, Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz cited a report that the state is well on its way to containing Covid-19.
The Vox article, “Just 2 states meet these basic criteria to reopen and stay safe,” by German Lopez, covers criteria set by experts for reopenings–three basic ones, five overall.
The two states meeting these standards are New York and Rhode Island. Connecticut is cited as making “strong progress” but not quite there.
Speaking from Hammonassett Beach State Park in Madison, Bysiewicz began her briefing by citing a study by Covid Act Now which says that Connecticut was one of four states on track to beat Covid-19.
She did, however, moderate optimism and stressed caution, strongly encouraging Fourth of July revelers and beach goers to continue to social distance, wear masks and engage in other activities to continue to keep Covid-19 at bay.
The five criteria included in the Vox article are as follows:
- Goal 1: A sustained two-week drop in coronavirus cases
- Goal 2: A low number of daily new Covid-19 cases
- Goal 3: High coronavirus testing capacity
- Goal 4: A low test positive rate
- Goal 5: Availability of ICU beds
According to the article, Connecticut is close to compiling with the first goal, as Covid-19 cases have continued to drop. For the second, third and fourth goals, Connecticut compiles. The state falls short of the fifth goal, which requires below 60 percent occupancy rate of ICU beds.
As of July 1, in Bristol, the state Covid-19 Data Tracker site reported a total of 609 confirmed cases, a total of 72 confirmed deaths, a case rate of 1,014 per 100,000 people and a testing rate of 8,422 per 100,000.
For information about Connecticut’s reopening, see the state website here: https://reopen.ct.gov/.