Back in late February as cases of coronavirus crept ever closer to Connecticut’s borders, Gov. Ned Lamont declared that we were ready to meet the challenge. Just 12 weeks later, the death toll surpassed 4,000 and life in the state changed for everyone. Here we look back through the eyes of Connecticut Public’s reporters and visual journalists as they chronicled the first three months of the pandemic.
First Case
1 of 2 — Saint Francis Hospital staff listen during a press conference at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center on the states preparedness for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on March 06, 2020 in Hartford, Connecticut.
HARTFORD, CT - March 06, Saint Francis Hospital staff listen during a press conference at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center on the states preparedness for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on March 06, 2020 in Hartford, Connecticut.
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
2 of 2 — After a press conference at Saint Francis Hospital and Medicine Center, Governor Ned Lamont talks with Dr. Danyal Ibrahim of Emergency Medicine at Saint Francis. The press conference was held to discuss the state’s preparedness for the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) on March 06, 2020 in Hartford, Connecticut.
After a press conference at Saint Francis Hospital and Medicine Center, Governor Ned Lamont talks with Dr. Danyal Ibrahim of Emergency Medicine at Saint Francis. The press conference was held to discuss the state’s preparedness for the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) on March 06, 2020 in Hartford, Connecticut.
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC / Connecticut Public/NENC
For weeks, Nutmeggers had been nervously following events in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island as positive cases of coronavirus surrounded Connecticut. On March 8, 2020, state officials announced the first case of coronavirus infection in a Connecticut resident.
Nearly empty shelves of bathroom tissue is seen at ShopRite in Canton on March 13, 2020. Many Connecticut stores have seen shoppers stock up on supplies and food amid the coronavirus health crisis.
Events moved quickly, as positive cases mounted. It became clear that the virus would spread easily, particularly in Fairfield County with its close ties to New York City. On March 10th, Gov. Ned Lamont declared a civil preparedness and public health emergency.
SMG Corporate services day porters wipe down and deep clean the Senate chambers while the Connecticut State Capitol is closed for cleaning on March 12, 2020. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC / Connecticut Public/NENC
2 of 6 — CAPITOL CLEANUP, Hartford, Covid-19, Coronavirus, State Capitol
SMG Corporate services day porter Juan Valenzuela wipes down the chairs of the Senate leadership during a deep clean in the Senate chambers while the Connecticut State Capitol is closed for cleaning on March 12, 2020.
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC / Connecticut Public/NENC
3 of 6 — VIRUS, coronavirus, hartford, covid-19, transit, transportation, union station
A quiet Union Station is seen on a Friday afternoon during a usual busy time on March 13, 2020 in Hartford. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC / Connecticut Public/NENC
4 of 6 — VIRUS, coronavirus, hartford, covid-19, transit, transportation, union station
Greyhound ticket agent, 27 year old Jen Rivera, helps a customer with his travel. “I wear this because I don’t want to get sick and I have to come to work,” she said at Union Station on March 13, 2020 in Hartford. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC / Connecticut Public/NENC
5 of 6 — VIRUS, coronavirus, hartford, covid-19, transit, transportation, union station
An empty train platform is seen at Union Station on March 13, 2020 in Hartford. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC / Connecticut Public/NENC
CIAC Executive Director Glenn Lungarini is surrounded by students during an interview as hundreds of high school student athletes, parents and coaches held a protest outside the offices of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC), that canceled the rest of the winter season for all high school championship tournaments as fears of spreading the coronavirus are becoming more prevalent on March 11, 2020 in Cheshire, Connecticut. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC / Connecticut Public/NENC
Schools and Businesses Close
Already several school districts had independently made the decision to close their doors and either give kids vacation, or begin distance learning. Finally the Lamont administration ruled that all schools must close on March 16. Non-essential businesses closed the same day, and restaurants moved to take-out only service.
1 of 5 — VIRUS, coronavirus, covid-19, weaver high school, hartford public schools
Weaver High School students are dismissed at the end of the school day on Friday, March 13, 2020. Hartford Public Schools announced they are closing indefinitely to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC / Connecticut Public/NENC
2 of 5 — New Haven COVID-19
Johnathan Hilder of Hands On moving carries a box containing the belongings of undergraduate students to be moved to temporary storage. The university is moving personal belongings of students to make room for graduate students being relocated to Yale’s Old Campus. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
3 of 5 — Meals
Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, Superintendent of Hartford Public Schools helps a young man with his meal served by Food & Child Nutrition Services at Samuel Valentine Arroyo Recreation Center in Pope Park on March 16. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC)
Joe Amon / Connecticut Public/NENC
4 of 5 — Meals
Food & Child Nutrition Services, Hartford Public Schools cook manager Ranicsa Roman makes sure kindergartener Aaliyah Colon 5, gets two milks, one for lunch and one for breakfast at the student pick-up across the street from the YMCA of Greater Hartford on March 16. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC / Connecticut Public/NENC
5 of 5 — Meals
A youngster digs right into his meal served by Food & Child Nutrition Services, Hartford Public Schools at Samuel Valentine Arroyo Recreation Center in Pope Park on March 16, 2020 in Hartford. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC / Connecticut Public/NENC
When the crisis first began, Connecticut had to send samples to CDC labs in Atlanta to get them tested. But it soon became clear that testing was going to be a key to getting the crisis under control, and hospitals began ramping up efforts to provide drive through, and eventually mobile testing. Meanwhile, on March 18, Connecticut marked its first death from COVID-19. It was clear to no one then that the state would lose more than 4,000 of its residents in the first three months of the pandemic.
1 of 5
A vial used for conducting the COVID-19 test is held up at a drive-through mobile center outside Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC
2 of 5 — Testing
Clinical staff members complete the registration of patients in their cars at Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center drive-through mobile center before the COVID-19 test is administered on March 18, 2020 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC / Connecticut Public/NENC
3 of 5 — Testing
The chair of emergency medicine, Dr. C. Steven Wolf (left) watches as manager of emergency medical services John Quinlavin lowers the computers that will be used for registration at Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center drive-through mobile center to test patients for COVID-19 on March 18, 2020 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC / Connecticut Public/NENC
4 of 5 — Testing
Clinical staff members complete the registration of patients in their cars at Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center drive-through mobile center before the COVID-19 test is administered on March 18. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC / Connecticut Public/NENC
5 of 5 — Testing
RNs Alyssa Anderson (left) and June Kausch secure and fit their masks as they prepare to administer COVID-19 tests to patients in their cars at the drive-through mobile center at Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center on March 18. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC / Connecticut Public/NENC
MARCH 24: A mobile field hospital being erected by the Governor’s Foot and Horse Guard on the grounds of Saint Francis Hospital on March 24, 2020.
By the end of March there were fears that Connecticut’s hospitals might be overwhelmed by the sheer number of patients suffering complications from COVID-19. On March 24, the state erected its first field hospital on the grounds of St Francis Hospital in Hartford, followed shortly after by several other surge facilities.
1 of 4 — SSCU Field Hospital COVID-19
Gov. Ned Lamont stands between beds intended for patients in case regional hospitals are maxed out by the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor toured the facility as officials anticipate a hard month ahead as the virus spreads across the state. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
2 of 4 — SSCU Field Hospital COVID-19
A member of the Connecticut National Guard moves dividers that will be placed between patient beds in a mobile field hospital at Southern Connecticut State University. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
3 of 4 — Lamont SCSU field hospital
Members of the Connecticut National Guard take measurements and move cots to adhere to social distance guidelines for patients that could potentially be moved to a mobile field hospital at Southern Connecticut State University if regional hospitals are overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
4 of 4 — SSCU Field Hospital COVID-19
FILE: In April, 2020, around 300 beds were set up in the Moore Field House at Southern Connecticut State University to serve as overflow space for Yale New-Haven Hospital.
Ryan Caron King / Connecticut Public
Unemployment Spikes
Ryan Caron King
/
Connecticut Public
APRIL 15: A closed sign on a barbershop in New London on April 15. As COVID-19 cases spread across Connecticut, the state shut down barbershops and salons in March.
In the first two weeks after the closure of non-essential businesses, the state Department of Labor was inundated with unemployment claims. That wave became a tsunami as the weeks continued, mounting eventually to more than half a million claims — a number that the Department might normally see over four years. Meanwhile, essential workers who were still on the frontlines continued to face the danger of contracting the virus.
1 of 5 — Foodshare distribution at Rentschler Field
APRIL 22: The third day of Foodshare’s drive-through food bank at Rentschler Field in East Hartford. Lines started to form around 6 a.m. on Wednesday, but workers added a second distribution line to serve hundreds of people. Foodshare workers said they want the public to know that they won’t run out of food. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
2 of 5 — Foodshare distribution at Rentschler Field
On the third day of Foodshare’s drive-through food bank at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, volunteers load bags of apples into cars that pass through the food drive. Lines started to form around 6 a.m. on Wednesday -- over two hours before the bank opened -- but workers added a second distribution line to speed up the process. Foodshare workers said they want the public to know that they won’t run out of food. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
3 of 5 — Foodshare distribution at Rentschler Field
Brian and Claudette Whaples said they both lost their jobs in the restaurant industry due to COVID-19 restrictions and came to the food bank because they’ve been struggling to make ends meet. “It helps,” Brian said, “We don’t go out to eat. We cook at home.” In her spare time, Claudette has been making homemade masks. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
4 of 5 — Foodshare distribution at Rentschler Field
Miguel Velazquez unloads a palette of onions off a truck. He usually runs Foodshare’s operation at the Regional Market in Hartford, but the organization had to move its distribution site to Rentschler Field in East Hartford because of increased demand. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
5 of 5 — Foodshare distribution at Rentschler Field
On the third day of Foodshare’s drive-through food bank at Rentschler Field on April 22, volunteer Tiina Hyvonen stacks 5-pound bags of potatoes. Most passengers driving through kept their windows up and volunteers loaded food directly into car trunks. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
COVID-19 Devastates Nursing Homes
DAVE WURTZEL / CONNECTICUT PUBLIC
/
DAVE WURTZEL / CONNECTICUT PUBLIC
The first person to die in Connecticut was a man who had been in an assisted living facility in Ridgefield. It soon became clear that nursing homes and other senior living facilities would be fertile breeding grounds for the virus. Eventually, more than half of all deaths would be recorded in these places.
1 of 2 — Shady Oaks COVID-19
Tyson Belanger, owner and operator of Shady Oaks Assisted Living, says he was worried about asymptomatic transmission of COVID-19 to his residents. So he asked his employees if they would live at the facility during the pandemic. Eighteen workers signed on, and for six weeks, they’ve been living behind the facility in RVs. Tyson has made his home in his office with a sleeping bag. “I love my residents and I love my caregivers… The alternative is so awful. It’s catastrophic,” he said. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
2 of 2 — A woman holds up a baby to a window outside the Kimberly Hall South in Windsor to visits with a resident on May 5
A woman holds up a baby to a window outside the Kimberly Hall South in Windsor to visits with a resident on May 5. (Dave Wurtzel/Connecticut Public)
Dave Wurtzel/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
Spring is a time of major religious festivals in many faith traditions. This year, celebrations became memorials; a way of marking what we had lost, and reclaiming a sense of community we had to recreate in isolation.
1 of 3 — Urban Hope Refuge Church Drive-in Easter Service.
The Urban Hope Refuge Church holds a drive-in Easter service on Sunday April 12. A music performance for the congregation who worshiped from their parked their cars. (Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public)
Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
2 of 3 — Urban Hope Refuge Church Drive-in Easter Service.
Pastor AJ Johnson of the Urban Hope Refuge Church preaches to the congregation who worshiped from their parked their cars on April 12. (Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public)
Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
3 of 3 — Urban Hope Refuge Church Drive-in Easter Service.
A member of the Urban Hope Refuge congregation arrives dressed for the Easter Service. (Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public)
Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
1 of 2 — Cars lined up outside of the Connecticut Governor’s Residence in Hartford to protest Governor Lamont’s refusal to release inmates at risk of COVID-19. Protesters remained in their cars honking and waving signs.
APRIL 6: Cars lined up outside of the Connecticut Governor’s Residence in Hartford to protest Governor Lamont’s refusal to release inmates at risk of COVID-19. Protesters remained in their cars honking and waving signs.
Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
2 of 2 — At Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center in Uncasville (above), multiple inmates and one staff member have tested positive for COVID-19
APRIL 1: At Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center in Uncasville (above), multiple inmates and one staff member have tested positive for COVID-19.
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
COVID-19 spread easily in nursing homes. It also spread widely in Connecticut’s prison system, which eventually recorded more than 400 cases of coronavirus infection. On April 13, the system saw the first death of an inmate. While the Department of Correction made efforts to reduce the prison population through early releases, activists continued to protest that prisoners were being put at risk.
1,000 Deaths
Connecticut passed a grim milestone on April 17, recording a thousand deaths from COVID-19. Meanwhile, the pandemic was exposing the wide disparities in outcomes in Connecticut as communities of color and immigrants continued to bear the brunt of illness and death.
1 of 7 — Hartford North End Mobile COVID-19 Testing
Monique Coleman registers for a COVID-19 test at a mobile testing site in the parking lot of Phillips Health Center on Main Street in Hartford on May 12. (Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public)
Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
2 of 7 — Protesters Cross the State in a Car Caravan to Call For Immigrant Worker Relief
Protesters attach signs to the front of a truck before circling the Capitol Building in Hartford with their car horns blaring. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
3 of 7 — Protesters Cross the State in a Car Caravan to Call For Immigrant Worker Relief
Jhon Molina immigrated from Columbia and lives in New Haven. He rents out apartments there and came to the rally to call for relief for immigrants and renters. “I have to support the people,” he said. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
4 of 7 — Protesters Cross the State in a Car Caravan to Call For Immigrant Worker Relief
A woman holds a sign through the sunroof of a car during the "COVID-safe car protest" in downtown Hartford on May 1. Many protesters said that immigrant workers are putting their lives on the line during the COVID-19 crisis but aren’t receiving financial relief from the state or federal government. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
5 of 7 — Protesters Cross the State in a Car Caravan to Call For Immigrant Worker Relief
Marylu Sarmiento of West Haven (center) joined dozens of other protestors in front of the Capitol Building on Friday calling for support for immigrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s been out of work from her job with a cleaning company since the outbreak began and had her two kids in tow because they’ve been out of school. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
6 of 7 — Hartford North End Mobile COVID-19 Testing
Hartford residents wait in line at the city's first walk-up mobile testing site in the North End. (Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public)
Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
7 of 7 — Hartford North End Mobile COVID-19 Testing
Monique Coleman is tested for COVID-19 at a mobile testing site in the parking lot of Phillips Health Center on Main Street in Hartford on May 12. (Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public)
Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
By April 17, hospitalizations had reached their peak in the hardest hit county, Fairfield. Peaks followed within the next ten days in Hartford and then New Haven. Gov. Ned Lamont announced that a decline in hospitalizations, maintained over two weeks, would be the signal that the worst is past and he would consider reopening parts of the state. But he announced that schools would finish out the academic year online.
1 of 5 — COVID-19 Rapid Testing Center
NEW HAVEN, CT - April, 2020: Connecticut National Guard members, police, and CVS employees work at Connecticut’s first rapid COVID-19 center in New Haven. Long lines formed on the first day of launch — CVS says they’re planning to conduct up to 750 tests a day. Results will only take about 30 minutes to come in for people who get tested there. Using the new Abbott ID NOW™ COVID-19 test, CVS Health is planning to conduct up to 750 tests per day, seven days a week. All patients seeking to be tested will be required to pre-register in advance online. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
2 of 5 — ST MARY’S, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Waterbury, hospital
Hospital staff after local fire, police departments, and EMS paid tribute to the healthcare providers at Saint Mary’s Hospital who are on the front lines taking care of patients with COVID-19 on April 10 in Waterbury. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC / Connecticut Public/NENC
3 of 5 — COVID-19 Rapid Testing Center
A medical worker at Connecticut’s first rapid COVID-19 center in New Haven. Long lines formed on the first day of launch — CVS says they’re planning to conduct up to 750 tests a day. Results will only take about 30 minutes to come in for people who get tested there. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
4 of 5 — COVID-19 Rapid Testing Center
Sr. Airman Michael Choothesa of the Connecticut National Guard directs a car to the next station at a COVID-19 rapid testing center that started operating on Friday. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
5 of 5 — COVID-19 Rapid Testing Center
A medical worker stands between tents at Connecticut’s first COVID-19 rapid testing center in New Haven. Officials say the wait for results will be about 30 minutes, and they plan to test up to 750 people a day. (Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public)
Ryan Caron King/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
First Businesses Reopen
Joe Amon
/
Connecticut Public/NENC
MAY 12: Hair Stylist Georgeanne DeCosta and Linda Findley, co-owners of Michael Richards Salon keep their social distance while talking at the Shelton Square Shopping Center in Shelton.
On May 20, restaurants could resume service — but only outdoors. Malls reopened, but not all their stores followed suit. And two days before the reopening, hair salons were told they would have to remain shut.
1 of 6 — Hair Stylist
SHELTON, CT - MAY 12, Hair Stylist Georgeanne DeCosta works in close clipping the hair of her 5 year old son Rock that is going to grow out into a mohawk in their home on May 12, 2020 in Shelton, Connecticut. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public/NENC / Connecticut Public/NENC
2 of 6 — Carrie Phimvongsa leads an employee into her family restaurant in Enfield on the first day that restaurants could welcome customers dining on the premises since Gov. Ned Lamont halted the practice on March 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Carrie Phimvongsa leads an employee into her family restaurant in Enfield on the first day that restaurants could welcome customers dining on the premises since Gov. Ned Lamont halted the practice on March 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Frankie Graziano/Connecticut Public)
Frankie Graziano/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
3 of 6 — Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo
Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo has been closed due to the COVID-19 crisis and will reopen following federal and state precautions June 1st. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
4 of 6 — Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo
Animal Care Specialist Chris Barker at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo checking enclosure security of the critically endangered Amur Leopards before before they come out for their morning meal. The zoo has been closed due to the COVID-19 crisis and will reopen June 1st. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
5 of 6 — Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo
Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo director Gregg Dancho talks about how the zoo is preparing to open. The zoo has been closed due to the COVID-19 crisis and opened following state and federal guidelines on June 1st. (Joe Amon/Connecticut Public)
Joe Amon/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
6 of 6 — Carrie Phimvongsa, manager of The Country Diner in Enfield, watches as an employee attempts to put on a mask. Face coverings are part of the new normal restaurants must practice to mitigate the spread of coronavirus
Carrie Phimvongsa, manager of The Country Diner in Enfield, watches as an employee attempts to put on a mask. Face coverings are part of the new normal restaurants must practice to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. (Frankie Graziano/Connecticut Public)
Frankie Graziano/Connecticut Public / Connecticut Public
Connecticut’s casinos reopened June 1, along with hair salons and Beardsley Zoo. But are we all ready to resume normal life, and has the threat from coronavirus subsided?
More Coronavirus Reporting & Helpful Resources from Connecticut Public:
Go to CTPublic.org/coronavirus for additional resources and information about the virus and its ongoing impact our day-to-day lives, including tips on working at home, educational resources for school at home, unemployment information, health information, and which facilities and businesses are open or remain closed »
Sign up to receive our daily COVID-19 Updates or Learn At Home e-newsletter»
