While the city of Hartford has seen a slight decrease in the daily number of COVID-19 related hospitalization, Mayor Luke Bronin on Monday stressed the importance of staying the course and continuing social distancing measures for the good of public health.
Just under 900 Hartford residents have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Monday, Bronin said, and 77 residents have died.
While the decrease in hospitalizations is a hopeful sign, Bronin said it is too soon to know if the trend will continue, and that the data has shown rates dip and climb before.
The city is still looking at ways to reduce barriers for testing, and said the National Guard is making their mobile testing center available at the Charter Oak Health Center.
The city is also working with the state to make face masks available to small businesses. Businesses deemed essential under the governor's guidelines with less than 50 employees can request masks by registering their business at www.ctcovidresponse.org.
Bronin is also moving forward to submit a budget to the city council. The mayor’s recommended budget has no increase in the property tax rate and includes a reduction in revenue estimates by about $5 million in response to the uncertain fiscal impact of coronavirus.
“There is tremendous uncertainty about the year ahead," Bronin said, warning that the already lean budget may need to be further adjusted.
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His office said budgeted expenditures are around 1 percent lower than last year.
