Mayor Leclerc's COVID-19 Update #6
Every day I choose to ensure the best outcomes for our residents, our community and our employees. As a steward of resources I know that the best of the work we do and the extent for which we plan, coordinate and labor is not widely understood, known or fully appreciated. The hours spent coordinating the unprecedented needs both in terms of managing the business and needs of the town, as well as the needs of our community can weigh heavily on myself and our town leaders who have been on the frontlines for days, weeks, months and where we will remain until the fierce grip of COVID-19 has on our town and state subsides. We work to diminish those time snatchers who consume our precious hours, efforts and expertise for self-interest and we champion those who are committed to working for the greater good. There is no place for hyper-individualism in a global community crisis when there are so many needs and so much to be accomplished.
East Hartford has trained well to manage ourselves through unprecedented times like this. We were one of the first communities to understand that emergency management needed to be taken seriously, and worked to secure and attend a full week of FEMA training by leveraging the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Training Program. That training has served us well during this pandemic and we continue to lead, leveraging the NIMS/ICS process to ensure our response to COVID crisis is thoughtful, focused, citizen-centered and sustainable. We are mindful that at the same time we must continue everyday operations and undertake a larger broader role for our residents and businesses.
As I write this, East Hartford has had 967 residents tested for COVID-19, of those 436 confirmed positive, 97 residents are hospitalized and we have lost 54 residents of our community. Many of those lost had heritage legacy with our community and we mourn their passing together unable to gather in celebration of their life, making our grief more personal, complicated and compounded without that personal ability to gather, embrace and celebrate the joy they brought to us.
There is catastrophic impact on residents who have lost their job or whose business has temporarily closed and are struggling to make ends meet. I understand the harsh reality of what that means on both an emotional level and the financial insecurity it has created for so many in our community. We have seen an increase in the number of families reaching out to us for help. Trying to bridge the financial gap between unemployment and ensuring food on their families’ table. These are the harsh realities of the pandemic that we are witnessing.
I have seen firsthand the rising of people called to action to use their time for the benefit of our community. We have been the recipient of local residents who have sewed and delivered hundreds of masks for town employees when there were no masks available for purchase. I have seen thousands of cars bumper to bumper lined up to secure food through the Foodshare sites and I have locked eye with grateful parents and children during the distribution hoping that they believe, as I, that we will persevere and get through this together. The Town has been the beneficiary of extraordinary kindness and I know there is a sea of others doing both large and small gestures of giving that provide others with hope and reconnect us to thinking beyond ourselves by supporting each other in times of great challenge.
God bless us all.