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The Governor's Daily Update can be found at the end of this update
Governor Issues Order to "Stay Safe, Stay Home"
Governor Lamont today issued an order to Stay Safe, Stay Home effective at 8 p.m. on Monday, March 23, 2020. In the Executive Order, t
he Governor is encouraging all businesses to employ, to the maximum extent possible, any telecommuting or work-from-home procedures that they can safely implement.
This order excludes any essential business or entity providing essential services or functions, such as healthcare, food service, providers of basic necessities to economically disadvantaged populations and similar critical services.
The Governor's press release is printed at the end of this update and you can link to the
Executive Order 7H here.
3 Day Qualifying Stay
CMS is waiving the requirement for a 3-day qualifying hospital stay for coverage of a skilled nursing stay. There had been some confusion at the state level as to whether the state needed to obtain a waiver to take advantage of this, but CMS has clarified that this and several other blanket waiver provisions are automatically in place.
Summary of LeadingAge Weekly Call with CMS
LeadingAge has been in weekly conversations with CMS and here is a summary of the agency's answers to members' questions:
Summary of the Q&A with CMS
DPH Blast Fax - EMTs Are to be Allowed into the Nursing Home
DPH sent out the following
blast fax today regarding the need to allow EMTs into the building.
Strategic National Stockpile of PPE
The State has received their first delivery of PPE from the Strategic National Stockpile and unfortunately it is a smaller amount than requested. They are currently working on the distribution plan and we should be notified early next week of the process.
DPH Recommendations for PPE in Home Health Care
The following is a memo released by DPH providing recommendations on the use of PPE in the home health care setting.
Human Resource Implications of COVID-19
Two Wiggin and Dana Advisories
List of Meal Delivery Current Practices in Assisted Living
The
attached document lists the responses we received from our assisted living and life plan communities in response to the question posed by a fellow member on how people were delivering meals after closing congregate dining. Thank you everyone!
Postal Carriers Refusal to Be Screened
Postal carriers have been refusing to be screened before entering skilled nursing and other aging services communities, causing members to deny entry and use crucial staff time to distribute the mail. LeadingAge has joined with AHCA, Argentum and American Senior Housing Association to send the following
Letter to the Postmaster General asking that carriers submit to the screening.
Weekly Wednesday call on COVID-19 for Affordable Senior Housing Providers
LeadingAge Connecticut members are invited to join a LeadingAge Maryland and LeadingAge Ohio hosted weekly discussion on COVID-19 for affordable housing providers. Join us to hear latest updates and guidance, and to ask questions and hear practical solutions from other members.
Wednesdays from 9 - 10 a.m.
More information
LeadingAge National Updates for March 20
LeadingAge is providing daily webinar COVID-19 updates at 3:30 p.m. and has a web-based member community dedicated to this issue. All of this can be found on their dedicated
web-page.
Below you will find some of the new resource available today on the LeadingAge site.
Educational Video Shared by Member
A member sent us this six-minute video that they have shared with their staff to help them understand the importance of social distancing when out of work. They report that it was very effective and helped to provide a large amount of information without being too technical.
Link to video
State Soliciting PPE Donations
Posted on the State COVID19 website: Donations of Personal Protective Equipment:
The State of Connecticut has activated a framework for donations of PPEs. Members of the public, businesses, and philanthropic organizations that wish to donate these vital materials are asked to fill out the online form at 211ct.org/DonationsCOVID19.
Member Call Schedule
Our scheduled member calls on COVID-19 for this week. (
800-326-0013, 9164502# is the number for LeadingAge Connecticut calls.)
- Member nursing home updates daily at 2:00 p.m.
- HR Issues Related to COVID-19 was recorded and will be posted shortly.
- LeadingAge National update call for members every day at 3:30 p.m. register
- DNS member call on Monday at 4:30 p.m.
Governor's Daily Update and Executive Order 7H
The Governor has issued Executive Order No. 7H in which he is directing all non-essential businesses and not-for-profit entities in Connecticut to prohibit all in-person functions if they are able to, effective Monday, March 23, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.
Governor's Press Release: Governor Lamont Signs Executive Order Asking Connecticut Businesses and Residents: 'Stay Safe, Stay Home'
March 20, 2020
Governor Ned Lamont today announced that part of the ongoing civil preparedness and public health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he is directing Connecticut residents to "Stay Safe, Stay at Home."
Under today's executive order, the governor is directing all non-essential businesses and not-for-profit entities in Connecticut to prohibit all in-person functions if they are able to, effective Monday, March 23, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. The governor is encouraging all businesses to employ, to the maximum extent possible, any telecommuting or work-from-home procedures that they can safely implement.
The Office of the Governor is working in concert with the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development to develop guidance for all businesses relating to this order. That guidance will be released over the weekend.
"At this critical time it is essential that everyone just stay home so we can contain the spread of this virus while keeping essential services running," Governor Lamont said. "I know that this will be disruptive to many and will bring many daily activities to a halt, but the only way we will be able to mitigate the impacts of this public health emergency is to take measures like this. I appreciate everyone's cooperation, and I especially want to thank the essential workers who are needed to keep critical services running."
The governor is calling this his "Stay Safe, Stay Home" initiative. The plan recommends that state residents do the following:
- Effective at 8 PM on Monday, March 23, all non-essential businesses statewide should close;
- Non-essential public community gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason should be canceled (e.g. parties, celebrations or other social events) are canceled or postponed at this time;
- If you must leave your home, do not travel in groups -groups must be limited to workers providing essential services;
- Everyone should keep at least six feet away from each other whenever possible;
- Businesses and entities that provide other essential services should implement rules that help facilitate social distancing of at least six feet;
- Individuals should limit outdoor recreational activities to non-contact and avoid activities where they come in close contact with other people;
- Individuals should limit use of public transportation to when absolutely necessary and should limit potential exposure by spacing out at least six feet from other riders;
- Sick individuals should not leave their home except to fill critical needs or to receive medical care, and only after a telehealth visit to determine if leaving the home is in the best interest of their health;
- Young people should also practice social distancing and avoid contact with vulnerable populations; and
- Use precautionary sanitizer practices such as using soap and water, hand sanitizer, or isopropyl alcohol wipes. Washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds works best.
The businesses for which this order applies shall include, but not be limited to, the 16 critical infrastructure sectors as defined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which are available at
www.cisa.gov/critical-infrastructure-sectors
. For more information, refer to the text of the executive order.
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