Gov. Ned Lamont has issued a freeze on out-of-state business travel for all state employees and urged private employers to consider similar precautions in an effort to stem the spread of the 2019 coronavirus.
At a Monday press conference at Bristol Hospital, Lamont went beyond the federal recommendation on limiting travel to select foreign countries, and said travel even beyond Connecticut’s borders is “not necessary.”
“Let’s limit what our exposure is,” Lamont said. “This is a message we are taking to our private employers around the state as well.”
Lamont said the administration will also evaluate whether to cancel or postpone state-sponsored gatherings of more than 100 people. He urged private employers to do the same.
On Monday afternoon, Lamont’s office urged nursing homes to stop allowing outside visitors.
“We’re recommending nursing homes discontinue visitors, with exceptions” that include visitors who need to help provide care in the homes,” said Josh Geballe, chief operating officer for Gov. Ned Lamont.
“That population is by far the most at risk,” Geballe said of the elderly in nursing homes.
There are no plans to close schools, Geballe said.
“Closing schools really becomes a very last resort – given how disruptive that is in so many dimensions … and parents that have to stay home. Some of those parents may be health care workers that can get pulled out of the hospitals.”
Aside from the regular school day, Geballe said schools should consider changes to plays and sporting events that could “play to an empty house” in order to slow down the spread of the virus.
The governor extended the no-travel plea beyond the business world, asking college students to stay in state over spring break.
“No need to go home over spring vacation,” Lamont said. “And if you do go home over spring vacation, [we] may ask you to self-quarantine, self-monitor for 14 days on your way back.”
Many universities in the state, including UConn, have already cancelled school-sponsored travel for the foreseeable future. Over the past week or two, hundreds of college students have also been recalled from study abroad programs, particularly those in Italy and South Korea.
Those returning students, as well as state employees returning from coronavirus hotspots around the world, have all been asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Ultimately, travel restrictions for Connecticut students is in the hands of the universities themselves.
The state has so far tested fewer than 50 people for COVID-19, the disease caused by the 2019 coronavirus. Connecticut has now received a second test kit from the federal government, which brings its testing capacity up to about 1,000.
Although the governor has asked businesses to conduct out-of-state meetings remotely and to instruct employees to work from home if they feel ill, Sen. Richard Blumenthal warned that the looming virus will bring inevitable economic hardships.
In hospitality and manufacturing fields, many workers can’t clock in remotely, so staying home or foregoing out-of-state business could mean skipping a paycheck. And for workers in any field, a serious illness could keep them from working even if telecommuting is an option.
Although Lamont recently signed a paid family medical leave policy into law, it doesn’t take effect until next year.
At Monday’s press conference, Blumenthal said the federal government should step in to help businesses weather the coming coronavirus storm and allow businesses to provide paid sick leave to their employees.
“Small businesses should not be asked to shoulder the burden without aid from the federal government,” Blumenthal said. “Small businesses are going to be hard-pressed.”
As part of that aid package, the Small Business Administration will be able to distribute loans to small businesses that are hit by the spreading virus.
Blumenthal said this aid will be crucial, but he still plans to lobby for more aid, including a federal stimulus plan for both small and large businesses.
“We are truly facing an economic whirlwind,” Blumenthal said. “I’ll be urging that the president enlist a new economic team with battle-tested and crisis-respected members who can help direct what the economic response should be.”
At least one private employer — CVS Health Corp., the parent company of Aetna — has already put some travel restrictions in place
A CVS Health Corp. spokesperson said the company has canceled nonessential domestic and international business. In addition, employees returning from virus hotspots such as Italy are mandated to work from home.
The governor currently can only issue recommendations to private employers, public schools and universities.
The state government also does not have the power to close local elementary, middle and high schools without a state of emergency — leaving the decision in the hands of individual superintendents.
Unless Lamont declares a state of emergency — which state officials said Monday is not yet on the table — he does not have the power to mandate school closures or to cancel travel for anyone except state employees.
Josh Geballe, the state’s chief administrative officer, said at Monday’s press conference that the state has discussed sports team travel with UConn and other colleges, but the decision is ultimately in the schools’ hands.
“Higher education institutions … are going to be making their own decisions on those topics,” Geballe said.
Universities can also make their own calls on other travel, including students’ spring break plans. Trinity College cancelled all college-sponsored spring break trips. That includes both international and domestic trips.
Trinity College, where seven students are under self-quarantine after possible COVID-19 exposure, has banned all school-sponsored travel to states with declared states of emergency and advised students to “reconsider” personal travel to those areas. Similarly, Wesleyan has suspended university-related travel abroad and to states that have declared states of emergency and has encouraged students to abide by those same restrictions.
UConn, whose spring break begins next weekend, has already canceled all group trips and, according to its website, “strongly encourages” faculty, staff and students to postpone all travel, domestic and international.
Other public colleges, including Central and Southern Connecticut, have taken similar actions, cancelling trips and urging students to stay in state. Additionally, Southern has directed staff to postpone, cancel or adjust any events or meetings through at least April 30 that are expected to have 100 or more participants.
Yale has limited gatherings of more than 100 people and told students to “avoid non-essential travel.” The University of Hartford, according to its website, is encouraging students to avoid countries with severe outbreaks but is otherwise not restricting travel.
Yale, Wesleyan, Central and others have asked students to register their out-of-state travel plans for tracking purposes.
Several Connecticut colleges have begun asking faculty-members about the possibility of teaching their courses online.
“We’re being proactive in planning for various scenarios, one of which could be to teach classes remotely,” a spokesperson from Southern said in an email. “We want to seek the best options to keep our students, our faculty, and staff safe, while also allowing our students to continue their education.”
Geballe emphasized Monday that even with a state of emergency, school closures would be “a last resort.” School closures would lead to tack-on economic hits, particularly for parents who wouldn’t be able to work.
Students who rely on their schools for regular meals would also be impacted, Geballe said.
“Clearly that is much further down the road and something that we very much want to avoid,” Geballe said. “The consequences and costs of closing a school are significant.”
For now, state officials are urging residents to wash their hands regularly, avoid close contact with others and stay home if they feel sick. More information on COVID-19 prevention can be found at ct.gov/coronavirus or cdc.gov/coronavirus.
source https://betterweightloss.info/gov-lamont-restricts-travel-for-state-employees-asks-private-employers-to-do-the-same-in-response-to-coronav/
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