CT Coronavirus Updates: Package Store Change, Park Restrictions

CONNECTICUT — Gov. Ned Lamont's 19th executive order amid the coronavirus pandemic addresses several issues, including ensuring pay for public school staff while schools are closed. Additionally, restrictions are being placed on entering state parks, while package and grocery stores are now allowed to offer curbside pickup.

Lamont said the orders are key to slowing the spread of the virus.

Here are the key points in Lamont's latest order:

Continuation of funding for boards of education: "The order requires the Connecticut State Department of Education to continue processing appropriated state grant funds intended to support boards of education through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, including ECS grants, payments for special education, and Choice programming. It also requires municipalities to continue providing funding to local boards of education as set forth in the approved annual school budgets," Lamont wrote in his order.

Continuation of payment of public school staff: "The order requires school districts to continue to employ, or restore to employment if already laid off, and pay school staff who are directly employed by the local or regional boards of education," Lamont wrote in his order.

Preservation of student transportation services and special education providers: "The order requires local boards of education and municipalities to negotiate amendments to contracts related to student transportation and special education services with the goal of continuing to make payments to transportation and special education providers so they may compensate their active employees, sustain the continuity of service when school resumes, and require the contracted company to attest and provide reasonable documentation of the fact that it is charging only the actual and reasonable cost of sustaining wage and health insurance payments for active employees and fleet," Lamont wrote in his order.

Restrictions on entrance to state parks, forests, and other lands: "In light of significant visitors to certain state parks in recent days, the order gives the commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection the authorization to ban visitors from entering state parks and other lands under the agency’s control after the property has reached a capacity adequate to supporting implementation of social distancing policies to limit the spread of COVID-19," Lamont wrote in his order.

Curbside pickup of alcoholic beverages permitted: "The order authorizes package stores and grocery stores to permit the sale of curbside pickup of all alcoholic beverages allowed by their permit type in any space adjacent to their permit premise and during the days and hours allowed for legal sale," Lamont wrote in his order.

See related: Town-By-Town Look At Latest CT Coronavirus Cases As Numbers Rise

CT Town Sees Number Of Deaths Rise To 10 Including Beloved School Bus Driver

9 Hospital Doctors Test Positive For Coronavirus: Report

Coronavirus Pandemic Changes Wedding Plans For Area Couple

Coronavirus Pandemic Forces Connecticut Pastry Manufacturer To Make Mass Layoffs

Hospital CEO Tests Positive for Coronavirus

Coronavirus CT Update: Real Estate Market Is A Brave New World

Connecticut National Guard deploys federal mobile medical station at Southern Connecticut State University

The Connecticut National Guard on Tuesday activated 150 personnel to the campus of Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven to help with staging and unloading a mobile medical station provided to the state by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Guard’s mission deploying the station on the campus will continue Wednesday.

Lamont reaches agreement with banks and credit unions to provide mortgage payment relief

Lamont announced that his administration has reached an agreement with over 50 credit unions and banks in Connecticut to offer mortgage relief to the state’s residents and businesses who continue to face hardship caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the agreement, the following relief policies are being offered by participating financial institutions:

"90-day grace period for all mortgage payments: Participating financial institutions are now offering mortgage-payment forbearances of up to 90 days, which will allow homeowners to reduce or delay monthly mortgage payments. In addition, the institutions will:

Provide a streamlined process for requesting forbearance for COVID-19-related reasons, supported with available documentation;

Confirm approval and terms of forbearance program; and

Provide the opportunity to extend forbearance agreements if faced with continued hardship resulting from COVID-19.

Relief from fees and charges for 90 days: For at least 90 days, participating financial institutions will waive or refund mortgage-related late fees and other fees including early CD withdrawals.

No new foreclosures for 60 days: Financial institutions will not start any foreclosure sales or evictions. (To sign up for free, local breaking news alerts from more than 100 Connecticut communities, click here.)

No credit score changes for accessing relief: For those taking advantage of this COVID-19-related relief, late or missed payments will not be shared with credit reporting agencies."

Office of Health Strategy further streamlines approval process for additional hospital beds

To further streamline the approval process for additional hospital beds to accommodate a growing number of seriously ill COVID-19 patients, the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy released revised guidance and is now including outpatient surgical facilities among those required to simply complete a notification form, rather than apply for a Certificate of Need waiver.

The intent is to accelerate implementation of emergency planning to address the COVID-19 crisis, approve expanded facilities to meet urgent demand, and still provide OHS a mechanism to track changes. OHS is providing the state’s hospitals and outpatient surgical facilities with a revised form to submit to the agency when seeking to perform these actions.

As before, once the state’s public health emergency is lifted, all temporary approvals will be rescinded and the full statutory, CON process will be restored.

This article originally appeared on the Fairfield Patch