CONNECTICUT, USA — Hartford is one of 19 municipalities in the state that are averaging over 15 cases a day per 100,000 people. Some areas in the southeastern part of the state are seeing over 40.
"Our infection rate was the lowest in the country over the last few months and like the rest of the country we’ve been picking up," said Governor Ned Lamont.
The state of Connecticut's infection rate has risen to 2.9%. That is nearly double what it was two weeks ago.
"We are going with massive testing," said the Governor. "Do everything we can to get people tested and tested on a regular basis."
On Friday, October 9th, only a few dozen towns were seeing a spike in cases. Now two-thirds of the state is lighting up the daily infection map. The Governor showed particular disdain when asked about the reopening of local Hartford Café, the Russian Lady.
"Bars and nightclubs cannot be open right now," said Gov. Lamont.
The Russian Lady had planned to reopen Friday with plexiglass surrounding the bar and booths. They’d hoped to move their outdoor entertainment and food service indoors for the winter months. However, those plans were scrapped, following the governor's comments this afternoon.
"They will get a visit from us. We have to be careful in those places where you’re most likely going to have a super spreader event," said Gov. Lamont.
The Governor is giving municipalities in the red a chance to revert back to phase-two. They attribute a relaxing of the guard for the rise in cases.
"Well we are finding largely though that it’s person-to-person contact," said Adam Rinko, Waterbury Director of Emergency Management.
Waterbury has seen a steady rise in cases over the last couple of weeks. They say family and social gatherings are the primary cause. The city is stepping up testing and contact tracing in the community and schools. They plan to stick to in-person learning, but they are staying vigilant.
"You pull one thread in the unravels four or five others sometimes so one positive can turn into a notification of a school," said RInko.
Local officials are encouraging people to get tested regularly. You could be carrying the virus without even knowing it putting others at risk.