HARTFORD — Governor Ned Lamont implemented new state Travel Advisory guidelines on Friday, December 18, ahead of a Monday morning announcement that the state is adding the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Connecticut’s ongoing vaccination program.

Locally, Newtown Health District Director said she, along with colleagues across the state will be working on distribution logistics, and any further details regarding COVID vaccinations being administered will be announced once solid plans are in place.

Lamont directed the Connecticut Department of Public Health to add Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine to the state’s ongoing vaccination program following a recommendation from the his COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group’s Science Subcommittee that it be authorized in the state.

The co-chairs of the subcommittee expressed in a report that it has full confidence in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) approval process and has no concerns about it moving forward. The governor said that Connecticut is expecting to receive about 63,300 doses of the Moderna vaccine this week.

This comes in addition to 31,200 doses of the previously approved Pfizer vaccine that have been delivered to the state since Monday, and another 24,375 doses of that company’s vaccine that are also anticipated to arrive this week.

Under this first phase of Connecticut’s vaccination program, the vaccine is being administered to healthcare workers and medical first responders, as well as staff and residents of long-term care facilities.

“This is another important step forward in getting this vaccine to as many people in our state so that we can better manage this disease and prevent its spread,” Governor Lamont said. “We’re doing everything we can to get as many doses to the people who need it most, and over the coming days and weeks we expect our supply to significantly grow.”

Revised Travel Guidelines

Lamont signed an executive order revising the guidelines for the travel advisory he enacted earlier this year in Connecticut amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in order to streamline its operations and align with recently modified guidance on the virus from the CDC.

The new guidelines went into effect at 12:01 am on Saturday, December 19. The revised Connecticut COVID-19 Travel Advisory will:

*Apply to all travelers — both foreign and domestic — entering Connecticut from any location, except for the neighboring states of New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island; and

*Require all affected travelers to complete the Connecticut Travel Health Form (available at ct.gov/travelform) and self-quarantine for a period of ten days or until a negative COVID-19 test result.

There will be three exemptions from the requirement to self-quarantine:

Testing alternative exemption: Applicable to any affected traveler who has had a negative test for COVID-19 in the 72 hours prior to their arrival in Connecticut, or subsequent to their arrival in Connecticut, and had submitted such negative test result to the commissioner of the Department of Public Health. This can be either a PCR test or a rapid antigen test.

Essential worker exemption: Applicable to essential workers traveling for work-related purposes.

Tested positive for COVID-19 exemption: Applicable to an affected traveler who has tested positive for COVID-19 within 90 days prior to his or her arrival in Connecticut and has clinically recovered, or has not been symptomatic for a period of ten days since symptom onset or such positive test if not symptomatic, and has submitted such test result to the commissioner of the Department of Public Health.

“Given the current high rates of COVID-19 throughout the United States and internationally, Connecticut continues to strongly discourage all nonessential, interstate travel at this time as the risks are too severe,” Governor Lamont said. “Visitors to Connecticut and residents returning from any location beyond the immediate region — including New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island — should self-quarantine for a period of ten days in order to reduce the risk of any further spread of this virus.”

For further information on the Connecticut COVID-19 Travel Advisory, including an extensive list of frequently asked questions (FAQ), visit ct.gov/Coronavirus/travel.