coronavirus concerns

A Barkhamsted beach recreation area will remain closed for swimming this summer over staffing concerns due to the pandemic. The Metropolitan District announced that the Lake McDonough beach area needs seasonal lifeguards to oversee swimming. The uncertainty caused by the pandemic paused the process for recruiting, hiring, certification and training of lifeguards that normally would have taken place by this…

We’re hours away from the new year and usually during this time of year, restaurants are gearing up for one of their busiest nights, but things are a lot different this year as they navigate coronavirus restrictions. But that’s not stopping restaurants from trying to help people ring in the new year safely. Like many things in 2020, New...

With concerns over COVID-19 cases rising over the holidays, teachers and school staff across the state are asking for stronger safety measures or for classes to go online full time. The Education Coalition is calling for schools across Connecticut to go remote after Thanksgiving through mid-January. “What we’re trying to make sure doesn’t happen, however, is everyone is pushed...

Union leaders are calling for more safety measures in Connecticut schools, including testing for all students.

Restaurants are scaling back or canceling their free holiday meals, while some organizations are switching up their plan to make sure everyone stays safe. “It wasn’t a whether we’re going to do it or not it was how are we going to do it,” said Major Migdalia Lavenbein, The Salvation Army. Lavenbein says The Salvation Army had safety in...

Snow season is not too far off and now West Hartford is clearing the streets of outdoor eating areas that were launched during the pandemic. “A little chilly but fine. We had the nice fire lamp,” said Jennifer Meehan of Fairfield. On Sunday, Meehan and her friend Julie Armstrong grabbed lunch outdoors in West Hartford. “Especially with the uptick right…

West Hartford is getting ready to remove outdoor dining barriers in anticipation of snow season.

West Haven Public Schools are closed on Tuesday due to a staffing shortage after several cases of COVID-19. School officials said the entire district is closed on Tuesday due staffing shortages after several staff and students tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend. Four positive cases of students and staff have led to 19 teachers and paraeducators being quarantined at…

With teachers being forced to quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure and substitutes hard to come by, many school districts are being forced to switch to remote learning as a solution.

As COVID-19 cases have been rising here in Connecticut and across the country, local and state health officials are concerned as we approach the holidays. At a Bridgeport event on Monday, Governor Ned Lamont reinforced his Thanksgiving messaging: stay close to home and celebrate the holidays with your immediate family. He said he’s looking into what can be done...

With growing reports of animals being diagnosed with COVID-19, many owners are wondering if their pets can pass the virus to their family. CEO of Animal Policy Group Mark Cushing insists that there is no need to take extra precautions as the risk of animals spreading the virus to people is extremely low.

Shannon Silver had planned to take her family on a trip from her home in Connecticut to visit relatives in Ohio just before the start of the school year for her two children. But she and her husband reversed course when people traveling from Ohio were added to a list of those who must quarantine for 14 days upon entering…

Public health officials in multiple northeastern U.S. states are investigating the possible spread of the coronavirus among youth hockey players. The New York State Amateur Hockey Association said last week that some of its players tested positive for the virus after attending a skills clinic in New Hampshire and playing in a tournament in Connecticut. Some players are “very...

Two Connecticut parents filed an appeal in state court challenging a Department of Education requirement that students returning to classrooms this fall wear face masks. The appeal filed Friday in Superior Court in New Britain seeks to have the department rescind the requirement to wear face coverings and to issue an order stating that neither the department nor local school…

An appeal was filed in the court system on Friday is requesting that the state department of education eliminate the rule requiring masks for students.

Many parents have questions and concerns about going back to school during the coronavirus pandemic.

Connecticut’s teacher shortage is in the spotlight as districts prepare for the possibility that the pandemic could keep some teachers out of school.

Parents, teachers and staff got some additional insight into the state’s school reopening plans.

Jay-Z’s annual festival in Philadelphia, Made in America, won’t take place Labor Day weekend due to the coronavirus pandemic