The Connecticut Senate has extended some of Gov. Ned Lamont's remaining pandemic-related executive orders. The list includes a statewide mask mandate for schools and child care centers the Democrat has said he wants lifted Feb. 28. The Senate vote on Monday followed last week's approval in the House of Representatives.  Besides the masking requirement, other executive orders being extended include requiring vaccination or testing for nursing home visitors; relaxing certain training and hiring requirements for medical professionals to address staffing shortages; and waiving bidding requirements to procure goods and services needed to respond to the pandemic.

The legislation also provides a 30-day stay of eviction proceedings in cases where landlords are still awaiting approval for financial assistance under a state program, and it continues an order requiring that nursing home staff be fully vaccinated with a booster shot. They faced a Feb. 11 deadline to get a booster, but the bill extends the deadline to March 7. Most of the executive orders are scheduled to expire April 15.

The Senate debated a separate resolution that continues the state’s public health and civil preparedness emergencies through June 30.

Newtown state Senator Tony Hwang says the debate was the final step of a drawn out and convoluted process where there has been little public consideration or input. There has been a complete lack of representative process, transparency and metrics used in this decision making.

The HB 5047 vote resulted in a 21-14 passage, along a mostly Democrat party-line vote, while every Republican Senator voted against HB 5047 joined by 1 Senate Democrat.

Hwang says the incredible amount of public outcry from parents and caring teachers who have seen children suffer social-emotional and developmental challenges from spending two consecutive school years in a mask should have been enough to signal that the state should be making moves to prepare schools to have a ‘mask optional’ environment.