On The Mend: 20 CT Towns Drop Off The Coronavirus Red Zone List

CONNECTICUT — The number of communities falling within the state's red alert level for coronavirus infections fell by 20 towns this week, as more than 60 percent of the population has had at least one dose of the vaccine.

Towns fall into the red zone when average daily cases exceed 15 per 100,000 population over a two-week average. There are now 112 of 169 towns still in the red zone.

The color codes correspond to guidance from the state Department of Public Health about various activities.

Orange (10-14): Ashford, Avon, Brooklyn, Burlington, Chester, Colchester, East Windsor, Enfield, Essex, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Groton, Lebanon, Middlefield, Montville, Newington, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Pomfret, Portland, Salem, South Windsor, Suffield, Vernon, Waterford, Willington and Winchester

Yellow (5-9): Durham, East Lyme, Hebron, Ledyard, Lisbon, North Stonington, Simsbury, Somers, Stafford and Stonington

Gray (less than five): Bozrah, Bridgewater, Canaan, Colebrook, Cornwall, Eastford, Franklin, Hampton, Hartland, Kent, Lyme, Norfolk, Salisbury, Scotland, Sharon, Sprague, Union, Voluntown and Warren

There were three COVID-19-associated deaths this past week in nursing homes. One a resident of

Hamden Rehabilitation & Health Care Center, and two in Northbridge Health Care in Bridgeport. There were no coronavirus fatalities in any of the state's assisted long-term care facilities.

The number of Connecticut students infected with the coronavirus rose 176 cases in the past week, to 713, a 32 percent climb. The number of infections among school district staff rose by nine cases, to 76.

The number of schools with students attending in-person rose by 26 percent, to 412.