‘Hope and plenty to be grateful for’
Lamont emphasizes sacrifices in pandemic ahead of Thanksgiving
As a second wave of coronavirus infections rises in Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont offered his gratitude to front-line workers in his statement on the eve of Thanksgiving and urged residents to remain vigilant.
In a sweeping 568 word statement sent out Wednesday evening, the state’s Democratic governor acknowledged how nontraditional the year has been — and the lives taken by the virus.
“There’s no way to put on a cheerful face and pretend that everything is whole when we’ve lost so much,” the governor said. “The virus has cost the lives of over 250,000 Americans, the jobs and livelihoods of countless more, and robbed us all of our everyday reality.”
Still, he expressed hope and gratitude for health care workers who “worked tirelessly through unthinkably long hours while putting their own safety at risk.”
Nonprofit organizations have stepped to do their part, and teachers have risen to the challenges posed by remote instruction, “a challenge in the best of times, as many of us found out firsthand,” the governor said.
The governor’s address comes as new infections, hospitalizations and deaths all spiked on Wednesday. Hospitalizations in particular hit one-day levels not seen since April, a point Lamont acknowledged earlier that afternoon.
Still, Lamont pointed to “a number of promising vaccines” as reason to hope. During the news conference, he noted that “tens of thousands” of doses are expected to be ready from Pfizer, the leading vaccine candidate, next month.
Despite fatigue, he asked residents to “honor the efforts and sacrifice of our fellow Connecticut residents” by staying vigilant.
That comes as public health officials and leaders around the nation have raised concern over the possibility of the virus spreading during the Thanksgiving holiday.
President-Elect Biden, who addressed the nation Wednesday afternoon as well, said he would not be traveling for Thanksgiving— something he said he last did the year his son, Beau Biden, died.
“I know the country’s grown weary of the fight. But we need to remember, we’re at war with the virus — not with one another,” Biden said, speaking from a stage in Wilmington, Del.
Lamont closed by offering a familiar pitch for residents to volunteer their time in the state’s COVID-19 efforts.
“We’re still one big family and in this together,” the governor said. “From my family to yours, I wish each of you a warm and happy Thanksgiving.”