The latest Newtown Bee COVID-19 Clip video message is promoting a lot of good news — from details about summer Parks & Rec programs, to information about the Community Center reopening, and local tax deferments.

The new video outreach, produced in partnership with the newspaper and First Selectman Dan Rosenthal, welcomed Community Center Director Matt Ariniello along with Parks & Rec Director Amy Mangold.

View the clip below:

Regarding the deferment, Rosenthal reminded those who are financially challenged due to COVID-19 related job losses, furloughs, or reduced work opportunities that the Legislative Council, on Wednesday, April 22, approved extending the current 30 day tax payment grace period.

That period, which was originally set to end on August 3, is now extended to October 1 — for a total of 90 days — of any taxes on real property, personal property or motor vehicles, or municipal water and sewer charges or assessments for such tax charge, or assessment from the time that it became due and payable.

The grace period for sewer charges, due June 1, will be 90 days extended to September 1.

Eligible taxpayers are those that suffered a reduction in income of at least 20 percent by COVID-19. Those eligible or anyone with questions is invited to contact the Tax Office, before July 1, at 203-270-4320 or e-mail donna.saputo@newtown-ct.gov.

Mangold said a number of her department facilities had already reopened, and more would be going back online in the coming weeks.

"Eichler's Cove [marina] was the first of our facilities to open, and we're working on getting the beach open and ready for June 13th," she said.

Ariniello said he and the Community Center staff would be glad to have community members back soon enjoying the facility and its programs.

"We're excited to be able to welcome everybody back on June 22," Ariniello said. "We plan on opening the center in four phases, and we'll gently begin reintroducing programming as this summer moves along."

Both also mentioned residents will be able to obtain a new all access "waterfront" pass for those who also might like to use the Community Center and Treadwell Park pools as well as the Eichler's Cove beach.

The Treadwell facility opening date will be announced soon, Mangold added.

In related news, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has announced that camping will open for the summer recreation season beginning July 8.

Campers at DEEP campgrounds with recreational vehicles (RVs) will be able to keep their reservations for dates starting July 1, with reopening for both tent and RV camping on July 8. Anyone with reservations before these dates will receive refunds.

Campers can begin making new reservation for the season using the online reservation system beginning on June 20.

DEEP is actively working to prepare campgrounds to offer safe recreation in compliance with health guidance. This includes hiring and training staff to clean bathrooms and other facilities to standards required by health officials, procuring the required protective gear, and making necessary changes to camp office buildings to ensure visitor and staff safety.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, DEEP staff have worked to keep state parks open and available for residents to get outside for healthful recreation. State parks have welcomed millions of day-use visitors so far this year and expect to welcome millions more this summer.

Stats, Help For Schools

On Monday, Governor Ned Lamont resumed his regular press briefings, during which he also looked over the state's daily coronavirus stats.

As of June 7 at 8:30 pm, the total of laboratory-confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases reported among Connecticut residents is 44,092; including 42,017 laboratory-confirmed and 2,075 probable cases.

Three hundred twenty-four patients are currently hospitalized with laboratory confirmed COVID-19, and there have been 4,084 COVID-19-associated deaths.

On Monday, Newtown Health District Director Donna Culbert said 32 local residents have died as a result of the virus, and a total of 227 positive COVID-19 cases have been logged.

Congresswoman Jahana Hayes, whose 5th District includes Newtown, announced June 3 she has joined 112 other lawmakers sending a letter to Congressional leadership strongly urging the inclusion of $305 billion in K-12 education stabilization funding as part of upcoming coronavirus response legislation.

“States are experiencing increased health care and unemployment-related costs that will put further pressure on education funding,” the lawmakers wrote. “Without federal support, the strain on state budgets will have drastic consequences for education, particularly students’ access to teachers.”

The Heroes Act contains $90 billion in education funding; however, there is concern that only $58 billion of that funding will actually support K-12 education. Citing a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report on state revenue shortfalls and a Learning Policy Institute report on necessary new education expenses in the wake of COVID-19, $305 billion, the lawmakers wrote, is what it will take to keep public schools stabilized and children educated.

“We urge that as you negotiate coronavirus response legislation, you allocate at least $305 billion to a State Fiscal Stabilization Fund for grants to States to support statewide and local funding specifically for our K-12 public schools. Our children’s education is too important to risk,” the letter continued.

“66 years after Brown v. Board of Education, inequity in our nation’s education system remains commonplace,” said Congresswoman Hayes. “These disparities will be further exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis, as state and local budgets are strained and education funding is cut. Cuts to public education result in educator layoffs, with a disproportionate impact on students of color in low-wealth communities.

"We need robust intervention to stave off the erosion of quality education services during this unprecedented time," she added.

Nursing Home Analysis

Lamont today announced that he is ordering an independent, third-party review to be conducted of the preparation and response to the COVID-19 pandemic inside of Connecticut’s nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

The review will incorporate a top-to-bottom analysis of all elements of the pandemic and how it was addressed in these facilities, which were disproportionately impacted by the virus. The governor said he wants the analysis completed before the start of autumn in order to prepare for a potential second wave of the virus.

“Our state took proactive and innovative steps to address the outbreak in our long-term care facilities, but we must take steps to better understand how prepared the system was, and then review the steps that were taken once the virus was clearly present across the state,” Governor Lamont said. “As we prepare for the possibility of a second wave, we must be proactive in analyzing what occurred, what needs to be improved, and how we can ensure the quality and safety of facilities that some of our most vulnerable residents call home.”

The Lamont administration will soon solicit proposals from third-party experts to conduct the review. Before it begins, the administration plans to collaborate with legislative leaders to develop a scope that ensures the review provides the state with meaningful information that can best improve the safety of patients and staff in these facilities.

The awarded independent expert will be directed to work widely across state government and include input from the legislative and executive branches, as well as key stakeholders, such as the operators of long-term care facilities, the unions that represent the staff who work in these facilities, patients, health experts, and others.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on all elements of Connecticut’s health care infrastructure, but no sector had more direct and tragic consequences than the nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

To date, Connecticut’s nursing homes have experienced over 2,500 resident deaths and more than 8,500 cases in a population of just over 21,000. More than 60 percent of total deaths in Connecticut have been among residents of nursing homes.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health, under the direction of Governor Lamont, took several aggressive steps to contain these outbreaks, including:

• Becoming one of the first states to discontinue visitation in early March;

• Establishing dedicated COVID-recovery facilities to prevent COVID-positive patients from re-entering nursing homes;

• Greatly enhancing inspection and monitoring of infection control practices by leveraging the Connecticut National Guard;

• Delivering millions of units of personal protective equipment (PPE) through the state’s mutual aid program;

• Providing a $125 million financial aid package for nursing homes to support staff payment, infection control, PPE costs, and other pandemic-related expenses; and

• Establishing a new category of worker, the Temporary Nurse Aide, to assist with staffing shortages.

In May and June, Connecticut facilitated testing of every nursing home resident who had not previously tested positive. Lamont also signed an executive order requiring the staff at all nursing homes, managed residential communities, and assisted living facilities to be tested for COVID-19 every week for the duration of the public health and civil preparedness emergency.

“We must take this opportunity to learn from the pandemic and the experience of our nursing homes to ensure we are using the best available science and quality improvement techniques to protect these residents,” Dr. Deidre Gifford, acting commissioner of the Department of Public Health, said. “We must study the epidemiology, protocols, staffing, and overall preparedness of all our facilities to provide clarity and understanding of what happened over the course of this pandemic.”

The solicitation of proposals for an outside expert to conduct the review will be released in the next several days.

For news about the COVID-19 impact in town and hyperlocal reporting every day, be sure to check newtownbee.com — and follow The Bee on Facebook and Twitter for updates, emergency announcements, traffic advisories, and breaking news.