Almost half of those surveyed think it will take them three years or more to get back to where they were financially a year ago including about one in 10 who don t think their finances will ever recover, according to the Pew Research Center. The Day talked to three people about how the pandemic has impacted them and how much help the federal stimulus is providing.
Groton Diana Rosario of Groton was an essential worker at Walmart in Waterford when the coronavirus pandemic hit southeastern Connecticut, serving on the front lines as the situation quickly shifted from normal to the new reality of the pandemic.
It’s one thing to approve $1.9 trillion in American Rescue Plan aid for the country, including $65.1 billion for its 19,000 municipalities. It’s another to sort out how all those cities, towns and villages can spend the money.
The federal largesse, meant to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, will funnel $2.6 billion to municipalities in Connecticut, including $1.6 billion for general government and $1 billion for schools. The general government portion includes $870 million in aid to cities and towns and $691 million for counties, which, because there is no county government in the state, will be distributed to municipalities on a per capita basis.
Almost half of those surveyed think it will take them three years or more to get back to where they were financially a year ago including about one in 10 who don t think their finances will ever recover, according to the Pew Research Center. The Day talked to three people about how the pandemic has impacted them and how much help the federal stimulus is providing.
Shawn Henning, 57, of Pawcatuck was working up to 60 hours a week at a Norwich pizza restaurant when the coronavirus pandemic hit the region last March.
As many small, mom-and-pop restaurants closed or cut way back because of lost business, Henning quickly decided to cut his hours dramatically.
Even late into her life, long after the chaos of growing up with 12 siblings had subsided, long after years of hosting a Bible study in her home, and long after she’d met the love of her life square dancing at the Stonington Grange in 1945, Irene Johnson remained vibrant.
Ask her great-grandson, Morgan, who suffered a bloody nose several years back caused by Irene’s lockdown defense on the basketball court when he was only 9 or 10. Irene had been diagnosed with osteoporosis, so her daughter Lizanne Johnson put her foot down, telling Irene she had to stop hooping because she could end up breaking a bone.
More than 100,000 Connecticut residents scheduled appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations Thursday, the first day those 16 to 44 years of age were eligible to do so, according to Gov. Ned Lamont.
As statewide cases of the coronavirus disease continue to tick upward, all those in the state age 16 and older are now eligible for vaccinations, which experts believe are the key to eradicating the disease.
“We’re making very good progress,” Lamont said during a virtual news briefing.
He urged those who may have had difficulty scheduling an appointment to have patience, offering assurances that additional spots will become available over the next several weeks. Supplies of the vaccines continue to flow, he said, despite what people may have heard about a “hiccup” in the production of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, resulting in the contamination of some 15 million doses that had to be discarded.