There are 1,200 new cases of coronavirus in Connecticut and 17 new deaths, according to Gov. Ned Lamont.
That brings the total number of cases to 6,906 and brings the death toll to 206.
More than 3,400 people were tested since Sunday, Lamont said. Of those tests, 36-percent were positive.
Here is a breakdown of the cases by county:
- Fairfield County: 3,719
- New Haven County: 1,468
- Hartford County: 882
- Litchfield County: 230
- Middlesex County: 135
- New London County: 65
- Tolland County: 103
- Windham County: 40
- Pending address validation: 264
The new numbers come as national health experts, including the U.S. Surgeon General, warned of what could be the most difficult week in America since the COVID-19 public health emergency began.
Gov. Lamont on Monday also launched a new public service announcement campaign about his "Stay Safe, Stay Home" message to Connecticut residents.
U.S. & World
According to Lamont, it may be working.
"We are slowly flattening the curve," Lamont said. He said it was being done through increased testing and social distancing.
Coronavirus in State Prisons
The state has begun releasing some prisoners to cut down on the number of inmates who could become infected with COVID-19 behind bars.
As of Monday morning, 30 Department of Correction staff and 21 inmates have tested positive for coronavirus, according to correction commissioner Rollin Cook.
Infected inmates are being placed in quarantined areas of the prisons, Cook said.
Since March 1, the state has released 727 prisoners. It is the single biggest one-month drop in prison population ever, according to cook. The state's prison population dropped below 12,000 for the first time since 1993 on March 26, he said.
The inmates are being released based on several factors, including their low level of risk to public safety, medical risk of contracting coronavirus, and other factors, Cook said.
