coronavirus

The pandemic is making us reflect on what we value as people and a country. We don't yet know how much Covid-19 will change life as we knew it before the pandemic. We do know that it must change. We're learning to respect each other's space. The internet is becoming a kinder place.  And we shouldn't accept political leaders who can't lead. 

This hour, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont is calling in to give us the latest on the state’s response to coronavirus

A couple of months ago, the most talked-about public health epidemic in New England was opioid addiction. While the COVID-19 pandemic has since taken over, the drug crisis has not gone away. But addressing it has become much harder.

This post has been updated.

As the number of Connecticut’s new coronavirus cases continues to grow, Gov. Ned Lamont signed another executive order Sunday aiming to provide legal immunity to health care workers facing life-or-death decisions for patients in their care. 

Another 124 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized and 33 died overnight and early Saturday in Connecticut, a state bracing for a surge of novel coronavirus cases expected to peak by month’s end in Fairfield County. The death toll associated with the virus is now 165, and current hospitalizations reached 1,033.

Social distancing has musicians missing not only performances, but also the camaraderie and fun of just getting together to rehearse and make music.

Members of the Torrington-based children's choir Chorus Angelicus are no different. So in between Zoom rehearsals recently, they came together in the virtual world to record a song that has special meaning for all of them.

Community health centers that provide medical care to 400,000 low-income patients throughout the state are adapting to the coronavirus pandemic by shifting to telemedicine and reconfiguring the way the staff is offering in-person health services.

Connecticut officials are bracing themselves for a peak in coronavirus cases to hit Fairfield County in mid-to-late April, before the virus surges across New Haven, Hartford and eastern Connecticut, according to case models released Friday.

This story was updated at 1:32 p.m. with a comment from the Lamont administration. 

The ACLU of Connecticut has filed a lawsuit to force Gov. Ned Lamont and Department of Correction Commissioner Rollin Cook to reduce the number of people incarcerated in Connecticut prisons and jails.

Is this starting to feel normal yet? It remains remarkable how many things have changed and are continuing to change. One example is the thinking around masks. 

New England governors are urging people to stay home as much as possible to avoid the spread of COVID-19, while keeping open state trails, forests and some beaches so there are places to exercise. Among the caveats to playing outside, social distancing is a must — and it’s not always happening.

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The state fielded 40,000 more unemployment claims over the last 18 days than it did for all of last year. 

It’s a staggering number, one that comes as the state government awaits its share of a $2 trillion federal relief package that could take until the end of April to arrive. And it’s just one more measure of the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the state.

Over the last two weeks, 10 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits. Last week’s report of 3.3 million new claims was astronomically high. This week’s numbers doubled that.

Churches across the states have temporarily shut down. Easter, Passover and Ramdan are all rapidly approaching and many will not be able to gather and celebrate. 

This hour, we talk to religious leaders and learn how they're navigating worship and virtual religious services.

Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration unveiled a plan late Wednesday for separating nursing home residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 from those who are negative. The proposal involves moving sick residents to specially designated facilities or to different units than the healthy ones.

You can find lots of advice about how to avoid feeling bored during this pandemic. There's virtual dance parties and home safaries,  lists of what to read and watch, and yoga classes on Zoom. 

Boredom is a difficult emotion for most of us. Almost 3,500 people living under quarantine in Italy shared on a survey last week that boredom has been one of the hardest parts of staying inside. We go out of our way to avoid feeling it, including students who chose electric shock over feeling bored in this experiment. 

As many people around the world hunker down in isolation, performing artists find themselves in uncharted territory. With no upcoming performances to practice for, how are they managing their time? Does creativity take over when boredom sets in?

One Hartford-based music director finds social distancing antithetical to his organization’s main purpose.

Spring is here, and with it the growing season for Connecticut farms. As a part of the essential supply chain, they’re subject to far fewer restrictions than many other businesses, but life on the farm during coronavirus is still complicated and uncertain.

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Two state universities are transforming athletic centers into mobile field hospitals in anticipation of a COVID-19 patient surge. The move comes as the state enters what’s expected to be its worst month of illness, death and hospitalization ushered in by a worldwide pandemic -- a surge marked by the state’s first reported infant death from the coronavirus.

March felt like a long, crazy month. April is expected to be worse. 

President Donald Trump told Americans on Tuesday “to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead." Meanwhile, Gov. Ned Lamont warned that “April will be a horrible month.”

Mystic Seaport Museum will lay off a large portion of its staff April 1 in an effort to weather the impact of COVID-19.

The maritime museum closed its doors and suspended all classes, programs and events on March 13. At that time, they had hoped to reopen March 30. But as coronavirus cases in Connecticut rise, it’s unclear exactly when the museum will be able to welcome visitors again.