Hi John,

Connecticut is on track to soon meet the seven criteria necessary to begin the first phase of reopening our state’s businesses and workplaces.

This does not mean that everything will suddenly be back to normal, but it does mean that our collective efforts to flatten the curve are working. I hope that you and your entire family are safe, and I want to thank you for everything you’ve done to help protect your neighbors.

COVID-19 has presented our state and our country with unprecedented challenges, and I am deeply proud of the way folks in Connecticut have responded to this moment. This week is National Nurses Week, and I want to take a moment to celebrate the courage and dedication of Connecticut's nurses.

John, providing care to COVID-19 patients is incredibly grueling. More than 9,000 patients have been hospitalized in Connecticut to date, and more than 5,400 have been discharged. Nurses, along with doctors and other health care providers and staff, are working around the clock in extremely difficult conditions to save lives.

Fueled by deep compassion and unyielding dedication, these health care professionals are permanently impacting the lives of thousands of families across our state. As I told nurses at Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford this week, "each and every one of you are called for this moment, each and every one of you is stepping up."

I cannot thank our nurses and other health care workers enough, and I hope that this week you will join me in expressing gratitude to these inspiring heroes.

This week is also Teacher Appreciation Week, and I’d like to use this opportunity to express gratitude to some other Connecticut heroes today.

As every parent of school-age children can attest to, adapting to remote learning has presented families and students with a number of new challenges. Despite the logistical hurdles and incredible difficulty of managing a virtual classroom, Connecticut’s teachers are keeping our students connected and engaged with their education.

For many parents, including those who are newly working from home, this crisis has been a stark reminder of exactly how much work educators do every day for our children. Please join me in thanking Connecticut’s teachers for everything that they do.

“Essential workers” is a phrase we’ve heard a lot in the past couple of months. Nurses, doctors, and teachers are widely understood as being essential parts of any healthy modern society.

But this crisis has revealed that many of the essential work that we all depend on to live our lives does not receive the recognition it deserves. Grocery store workers, delivery workers, USPS workers, restaurant and transportation workers — all of these jobs and more have emerged as fundamental to the functioning of our economy.

This month began with International Workers' Day, and it’s important that in addition to celebrating nurses and teachers, we also honor all of the essential workers that are helping us through this crisis.

So John, join me in saying thank you to Connecticut’s nurses, teachers, and all essential workers for protecting our families and neighbors every day.

We must never forget the sacrifices that all of these heroes have made, and we must commit to honoring their essential work both today and once this crisis is behind us.

Thank you all, and please stay safe!

Governor Ned Lamont