CT's 180-Degree Coronavirus Turn, A Timeline
CONNECTICUT — June marked a 180-degree turn for Connecticut in the battle against coronavirus as the state continued its progress in May of keeping the virus under control, even as other states like Texas and Florida saw large surges in cases.
Things went well enough in the state for Gov. Ned Lamont to move up the second reopening phase by three days; he also increased social gathering limits to 25 indoors and 100 outdoors. The governor credited state residents with keeping infections under control thanks to mask use and following social distancing guidelines.
The second reopening phase brought back indoor dining and entertainment like bowling alleys. Bars were originally supposed to come back in the state’s third reopening phase during July, but Lamont said he is rethinking that.
Related: April timeline
Below are some major developments for the pandemic during June:
June 3: Lamont announces small-scale in-person graduations would be allowed July 6.
June 5: Lamont moves up second reopening phase date to June 17 instead of June 20 in order to give restaurants the full Father’s Day weekend.
June 12: Hospitalizations are down 75 percent from the state’s peak.
June 15: Connecticut has three coronavirus-related deaths reported in a single day, the lowest figure since the early days of the pandemic.
June 16: Lamont expands social gathering limits to 25 indoors and 100 outdoors for private events. Up to 500 people will be allowed starting July 3 at open organized events like fireworks shows.
June 17: Phase two reopening day brings the return of amusement parks, indoor entertainment like bowling and limited capacity indoor restaurant service.
June 17: Coronavirus hospitalizations drop below 200 in Connecticut.
June 19: Connecticut has the lowest rate of coronavirus transmission in the country.
June 23: The Department of Motor Vehicles partially reopens. A massive backlog of vehicle registration and driver tests must be dealt with.
June 23: Connecticut passes 400,000 total coronavirus tests administered around this day. Connecticut is 10th in the nation for per capita testing.
June 24: The governors of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey announce a 14-day quarantine for travelers from some states that are experiencing high levels of coronavirus infections. Connecticut’s quarantine doesn’t have enforcement action, but Lamont said that could change if he finds out people aren’t heeding the mandate.
June 25: Connecticut unveils its preliminary fall back-to-school plan, which calls for mask use and a full five-day week for students. The plan is criticized by teacher unions who say that it should include things like class size limits.
June 28: The U.S. sets five consecutive days of single-day highs for coronavirus cases. Connecticut continues to keep its daily positive test rate around one or two percent with it dipping below one percent on some days. Connecticut and Rhode Island are the only states in the country where coronavirus cases are declining.
Coronavirus hospitalizations drop below 100 patients for the first time in months. The hospitalization figures are 95 percent less than the peak.
June 29: Lamont says he is rethinking allowing bars to reopen as part of the state’s third reopening phase. The reconsideration comes after states including Texas closed bars again after a surge of coronavirus cases.
June 30: Connecticut's reports a record daily number of coronavirus tests administered at 21,416. The state's positive test rate drops to .7 percent, which is a record low for the state and one of the lowest in the nation.
This article originally appeared on the Across Connecticut Patch
