Residents were able to phone in to speak directly with the two state leaders to ask questions about anything related to the pandemic, from small business relief to the latest legislative action, to addressing distance learning concerns and election security.

Murphy kicked off the town hall Tuesday by giving a quick update that Governor Ned Lamont and the whole congressional delegation are working on plans that will allow the state to reopen as soon as possible.

“But we know the most important criteria is we’d have to have turned a corner with the virus; we have to have the infections and transmission rates decreasing in order to be able to open back up our economy and schools,” Murphy said.

Broadly speaking, three legislative packages have been passed to bring relief to small businesses, hospitals and nursing homes, and more money has been brought in to ramp up testing. There are ongoing efforts to get more personal protective equipment out to frontline workers, which Murphy said is something they still have a lot of work to do.

Hayes said her office has been working hard on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which requires certain employers to provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19.

“We wanted to make sure that families got paid medical leave or sick time and testing,” Hayes said. “We were at the beginning at this crisis and weren’t sure what we had in store. But as the weeks went by, it began to be apparent that this not only attacks our health care system but economically as well. So we worked really hard to get this act passed and correct the language as we go to help all communities.”

Systemic cracks in the education system are another major concern for Hayes, who said they’re working on getting support to all educators.

“We’ve seen so many of the economic and equitable disparities that many of the school districts are experiencing. Some of our children are just now getting online a month after this pandemic struck and some were on just after a few days. We really have to work hard to close these gaps, as well as addressing the needs of special education students who aren’t getting the services they require from school.”

A concerned mother phoned in asking what parents can do to help high school seniors cope with the abrupt transition between high school and adulthood, considering they’ll most likely not be able to attend their own graduation ceremonies before summer.

Hayes, a former Waterbury history teacher, said she was still teaching when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 and displaced students came to her classroom.

“I had the same questions asked at that time, but the difference is, this is not just impacting students in Connecticut, but the entire country is on pause,” she said. “I wouldn’t consider this as time lost, but as a time to think creatively of what this opportunity looks like. I hope when the governor makes a decision about the school year, that it’ll have a provision to have graduations later, so students will still get to stand on stage, take graduation pictures, and say a proper goodbye to their teachers and friends.”

Murphy, who has two school-aged children, said he shares his work days at the dining room table with his second-grader and tries to let his colleagues understand how sensitive they have to be for every student that’s going through this traumatic experience.

“Especially the students who’re transitioning into new schools. I think when we reopen the schools, we have to make special arrangements to address that,” he said.