HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A second Connecticut state prison inmate has tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Tuesday as tensions rose inside correctional facilities where prisoners increasingly are concerned about the coronavirus.
The Corrigan-Radgowski prison in Uncasville was locked down Tuesday after a 24-year-old male inmate, who began developing symptoms Thursday, was confirmed to have the virus, the Department of Correction said.
Another inmate and a correction officer at that prison had previously tested positive. Officials are still waiting for test results on nine other inmates at Corrigan-Radgowski, including the 24-year-old’s cellmate.
Meanwhile, former death row inmate Eduardo Santiago told The Associated Press that he and other inmates inside the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield are worried that staff members may be bringing the virus inside.
Santiago said officers continue to pat down and otherwise have physical contact with inmates. He said that no staff members are wearing masks and that social distancing is not being enforced.
“It’s a powder keg,” he said in a telephone interview. “Everyone is looking at every CO like they’re a walking bomb. They are yelling at the COs and at the counselors to get the hell off the block.”
The department said it has taken steps to curb the spread of the virus, including the suspension of outside visits; wellness checks of anyone entering the building; placing new inmates in 14-day isolation units; and reducing transfers.
Other coronavirus developments in Connecticut:
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A ‘HORRIBLE MONTH’
Gov. Ned Lamont said he’s considering narrowing the list of businesses considered essential to keep people home, predicting April will be a “horrible month” for coronavirus cases in Connecticut.
Lamont said more needs to be done to persuade young people that social distancing is crucial to reducing the spread of the virus, noting the infection rate is expected to peak in Connecticut over the coming weeks.
“We’re definitely at a point where you’ve got to stay home and probably we have to take a look at what is an essential worker and to continue to tighten that up in terms of any possible confusion,” Lamont said during an interview on WPLR FM. “I’m looking at more ways to keep people at home, at least for this 30-day period.”
Lamont said he’s been hesitant to close the state’s large parks but worries when he sees large groups of young people congregating, such as playing basketball, and not taking social distancing seriously.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.
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LAYOFF NOTICES
The YMCA of Greater Hartford has informed state labor officials they are furloughing 952 workers. They’re the latest in a growing number of Connecticut employers who have filed federally required notices with the Department of Labor citing the virus.
The YMCA said the layoffs are temporary and were the result of the pandemic and Gov. Ned Lamont’s executive order closing fitness studios, gyms and movie theaters. The Mystic Seaport Museum gave notice it was laying off approximately 199 employees, 68 of whom were full-time. The museum said the layoffs “should be considered permanent, as we cannot estimate when the Museum will reopen and when we will need to increase staffing levels.”
Other companies that have filed such notices include hotels, a massage company and French pastry maker Lecoq Cuisine Corp. Bridgeport, which laid off 181 workers.
Lamont said there been 100,000 claims for unemployment compensation filed, leading to a five-week lag time in money being released to applicants. He said much of the delay is due to old technology, which was being updated when the coronavirus crisis began. Lamont said additional staff are working to reduce the backlog.
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NEW CONFIRMED CASES
Two Waterbury school employees and the top executive of the Bristol Health system are among the latest state residents to test positive.
Waterbury school officials said one employee is a food service worker at Wilby High School who had been serving students and families picking up meals while schools are closed. The other is an instructional staff member at Gilmartin Elementary School.
The city’s emergency management director told the Republican-American there was virtually no chance the food service worker, who has been staying home since March 23, infected parents and students because transmission of the virus is not foodborne.
Bristol Health President and Chief Executive Officer Kurt Barwis announced Tuesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and will self-quarantine at home for 14 days.
Five patients and two workers at Connecticut Valley Hospital and five patients at Whiting Forensic Hospital in Middletown have tested positive, the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services reported.
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MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE
Dozens of credit unions and banks in Connecticut have agreed to offer mortgage relief to the residents and businesses.
Under the agreement reached by the state’s Department of Banking, participating lenders will provide a 90-day grace period for all mortgage payments and fees. Also, they’ve agreed to no new foreclosures for 60 days. There will be no impact to a borrower’s credit score who takes advantage of the relief.
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Associated Press writer Dave Collins contributed to this report.
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