Statement from Sen. Alex Kasser (D-Greenwich) Regarding COVID-19 in Connecticut
“Today we learned that a Stamford resident returning from international travel has tested positive for COVID-19 – the first positive case of this coronavirus in a Stamford resident.
“Also today, Greenwich Hospital reported that a New York State resident who visited their emergency department has tested positive for COVID-19, and has been sent back home to New York under that patient’s physician’s care.
“And finally, last night, we learned that an elderly New Canaan man has been confirmed as the third coronavirus patient in Connecticut, and the first assumed to have contracted COVID-19 in Connecticut.
“The best thing each of us can do right now is to stay home if possible, stay informed, and to call your doctor if you have any symptoms whatsoever.”
“As the state Senator representing the residents of Stamford, Greenwich and New Canaan, I want to assure you that Connecticut state officials are working around the clock to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the early stages of this pandemic in our state. Every action taken to ‘flatten the curve’ of public exposure – suspending classes, cancelling public meetings and events – will help reduce the spread of this virus and the number of cases in Connecticut. This is a crisis, and we need to act accordingly to avoid worse outcomes.
“By being proactive with an abundance of caution now, I hope we can return to normalcy soon. I also want residents to know that the state has set up a dedicated 2-1-1 hotline and an email address, [email protected], to answer questions and provide information on available testing. People can also text “COVID19” to 898211 for information.
“There is a shortage of testing at the moment, but that is true in every state. The federal government failed to prepare our country adequately, but our state government is working to compensate for that.
“These are not normal times. But I have faith in the people of Connecticut that we will come together and act as one community to mitigate and survive this crisis. When it passes, I hope we can all look back and feel proud of how we helped one another.