NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – The Connecticut National Guard handed over the keys to the state commodities warehouse in New Britain to the Connecticut Department of Health March 15, effectively ending its COVID-19 response mission.
On March 10, 2020, Gov. Ned Lamont declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic, activating the Connecticut National Guard to assist with operating the warehouse where the state received, organized, and distributed its shipments of personal protective equipment and other supplies to help battle the virus.
“To say I’m proud of all the men and women of the Connecticut National Guard who’ve assisted with the COVID-19 response would be an understatement,” said Maj. Gen. Francis Evon, adjutant general for the Connecticut National Guard. “As we rode the waves of this pandemic, we were called upon to help with many different missions, but our warehouse mission was a constant throughout it all.”
For more than 700 days, the Soldiers and Airmen working at the warehouse helped the state distribute more than 38 million KN95 and N95 masks, 82 million surgical masks, 9 million surgical gowns, 128 million non-sterile gloves, 2 million disposable face shields, and 170,000 Tyvek coveralls to 169 towns around the state.
In addition to running the warehouse, Guardsmen and members of the state militia helped increase bed capacity by nearly 2,500 with mobile field hospitals and surge capacity at the Connecticut Convention Center and other unused spaces. They helped support more than 150 testing and vaccination sites and directly vaccinated more than 55,000 people. They also assisted with more than 2,500 nursing home inspections.
During the pandemic, the Connecticut National Guard performed more than 1,000 missions. At the same time, they helped with storm clean-up after Hurricane Isaias, multiple cyberattack responses, deployment to the state and nation’s capital during civil disturbances, and the largest wave of overseas deployments in a decade.
“Over the past two years, the Connecticut National Guard has competently demonstrated its motto of ‘Always Ready, Always There,’” said Evon. “Although our COVID mission may be over for now, we’re going to continue to monitor the situation and be ready if the state calls upon us again to help.”