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Disability rights groups lobby Gov. Lamont to prioritize vulnerable groups in distribution of COVID-19 test kits, masks

Hartford Courant - 1/1/2022

Two Connecticut disability rights groups have written to Gov. Ned Lamont asking him to prioritize people with high risk of severe illness in the process of distributing COVID-19 test kits and masks.

The governor has given municipalities wide discretion in passing out supplies secured by the state, suggesting — but not requiring — that they focus particularly on their most vulnerable residents.

In a letter dated Friday, Disability Rights Connecticut and the Connecticut Legal Rights Project said the state’s “failure to provide equitable access to testing and N95 masks” violates state and federal anti-discrimination law. They wrote that disabled people, including those in prisons, psychiatric hospitals and group homes, should receive priority in the distribution process.

“There is no recognition of the responsibility of the state to make sure that [distribution of the supplies] was prioritized for those at greatest need,” Sheldon Toubman of Disability Rights Connecticut said Saturday.

Toubman said the disability rights groups don’t expect Lamont to drastically alter his distribution plan for tests and masks, only to ensure that particularly vulnerable groups have access to the supplies.

Max Reiss, a Lamont spokesperson, said Saturday he was aware of the letter but had not yet read it and didn’t want to comment before he had.

Connecticut has received more than 400,000 at-home COVID-19 tests in recent days and expects more in the near future, as well as a supply of N95 masks. Some towns began distributing their allotment of tests Saturday, while others plan to do so Sunday or Monday.

Doris Maldonado, a West Hartford resident with several medical conditions that leave her at high risk of COVID-19, said her family is experiencing a virus scare but can’t find home testing. She said households like hers should get priority as the newly arrived tests are distributed.

“The failure to do anything to ensure [tests] are offered beyond a first-come, first-served basis is egregious,” Maldonado said in an email. “Where is the accountability?”

Lamont has received criticism from disability rights activists at several times during the pandemic, including when he decided to determine eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines based solely on age, instead of prioritizing vulnerable groups. Taubman said the lack of priority for disabled people in test distribution fits a broader pattern.

“We are concerned that there has been, throughout decision-making on COVID response, a tendency toward adopting over-simplistic solutions which, while convenient, fail to prioritize the greatest need in the saving of lives,” he said.

Alex Putterman can be reached at aputterman@courant.com.

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