Governor Ned Lamont declared civil preparedness and public health emergencies in a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
This comes as the state takes action in response to Coronavirus. Two Connecticut residents have tested positive so far.
The governor said he signed the declarations for many reasons, but the main priority is to allow more testing to be done. At the moment, up to 20 tests are being done each day and he hoped that number can go up to 60.
"We got to be prepared for what could be happening," said Gov. Ned Lamont.
The governor compared Coronavirus to a hurricane and said he normally would not enact declarations like these unless it is weather-related but this time is a different case.
His main priority is to ramp up testing capacity.
The state is currently working with ten hospitals that offer what is called "Alternate Collection Sites." These will be drive-by locations for people who are not acutely ill to be tested, a way to not crowd up emergency rooms.
"It gives us the opportunity to get more testing capacity faster for all the people in the State of Connecticut," added Gov. Lamont.
Chief Operating Officer Josh Geballe offered more details on the second Connecticut resident who has been tested positive. Geballe did not comment on the person's current status.
He also commended local communities for taking swift actions at canceling major events out of precaution.
"This is a female in her 60s who was a healthcare worker at Bridgeport Hospital and a resident of Bethlehem. This case is not connected to the case that was announced on Saturday I believe it was - she was actually a New York resident. The source of this person's infection occurred based on a trip out of state in Nevada," said Chief Operating Office Josh Geballe.
Commissioner Renee Coleman-Mitchell said two people in the state lab are currently doing all the testing and they are looking to train seven more people to help out.
"We do have 56 patients that have been tested. As you're aware, we have two individuals that are positive and we have 19 individuals currently in the queue for today," said Coleman-Mitchell with the Department of Public Health.
A warning was also given about price gouging and phishing attacks, scams that are related to high-demand items like face masks and hand sanitizers.
"Price gouging, profiteering, taking advantage of your community and your neighbors is wrong and in the event of an emergency, as we have now ... it is illegal," said Attorney General William Tong.
Adjutant General Francis J. Evon Jr. said if need be, the governor has the authority to call on the National Guard, something New York is doing in the New Rochelle area.
The governor also mentioned people have found other forms of transportation. He added the Metro North ridership has gone down 25-percent, something he said is not a bad thing.
The Governor's office also released an explanation of the scope of the declarations.
One immediate impact of the declarations is that they may allow some consumers and businesses whose travel has been impacted by the outbreak to benefit from travel insurance and other related coverage. The Connecticut Insurance Department is in the process of notifying insurance companies that the governor has signed the declarations and will be monitoring their compliance with the terms of their policies. As coverage will depend on the terms of each policy, consumers are encouraged to read them carefully.
A second impact is that they trigger Connecticut General Statutes Section 42-230, the state law prohibiting profiteering during emergencies. Violations are considered an unfair or deceptive practice and violators may be subject to fines or other action from the Department of Consumer Protection and the Office of the Attorney General. For guidance from Attorney General William Tong on Connecticut’s price gouging laws and how they may be impacted by coronavirus, click here.
The declarations also make clear that the chief executive officers of municipalities have emergency powers under Connecticut General Statutes Section 28-8a to take such actions as they deem necessary to mitigate disasters and emergencies.
While the declarations permit the governor to take certain actions related to the closure of schools and large gatherings, at this time those decisions are still being delegated to local municipal and public health officials as they are on the ground closest to the circumstances in each respective community and are empowered to make the best judgements regarding specific events.