The governor said he’s ‘cautiously optimistic’ as Connecticut’s COVID-19 positivity rate continues to improve, with the state on Friday reporting a rate of 13.69% and a drop in hospitalizations by 38 patients, and while he hopes to retain some emergency authority to continue to manage certain aspects of the pandemic, he said it’s up to the legislature. 

By Hugh McQuaid, CTNewsJunkie.com 

Gov. Ned Lamont sent a letter to legislative leaders Friday asking them to extend the public health and civil preparedness orders which would leave him with emergency powers headed into his reelection bid.

“There are compelling reasons to continue the emergency declarations because as the past few weeks have shown, we are still in a state of emergency. The nature of this virus is such that conditions change rapidly, with the resulting need to have the tools in place to respond quickly to an ongoing public health threat,” Lamont wrote.

The 11-page letter also asks lawmakers to codify 11 executive orders, such as the school mask mandate and one that allows retired teachers to return to the classroom.