Gov. Ned Lamont is declaring civil preparedness and public health emergencies in Connecticut so that the state can take specific actions in response to coronavirus – COVID-19.

That opens a new range of possible measures that could be taken, including speeding up public health regulations.

The hope is to drastically increase the number of tests being done.

The governor was asked if some of the preventative steps being taken might be an overreaction, with only two cases of coronavirus in Connecticut.

Lamont said he’s talked to other governors, including the governor of Washington State, and they tell him the only thing they regret is they didn’t do more sooner.

“I’m not worried about us overreacting. I’m proud of us being prepared. You know prepare for the worst, hope for the best. And I think you should have some confidence that this is a state working together," Lamont said.

Right now the state will soon be able to process up to 60 coronavirus tests each day.

The governor believes that can be boosted now that hospitals and private providers will be able to join the effort.

The emergency declarations also trigger aspects of the state laws against price gouging.

The two people in Connecticut who have tested positive for coronavirus, including a Wilton man in his 40s or 50s and a woman in her 60s from Bethlehem who works at Bridgeport Hospital. Fifty-four patients have tested negative.

Two other people with Connecticut connections have tested positive as well.

A Fairfield County nurse tested positive for COVID-19, according to Lamont. The woman is a Westchester County resident and is believed to have been exposed to the virus there.

And on Saturday, Lamont announced that a second New York State resident who works in Connecticut tested positive for COVID-19, noting that the person "is a community physician who made rounds at Bridgeport Hospital and did not show signs or symptoms of coronavirus while working with patients and stayed home to self-monitor."

That case is not connected to the Bethlehem woman, who officials believe was infected during an out-of-state trip to Nevada, then flew home and was working at Bridgeport Hospital. She is now in care.

The woman had contact with children and grandchildren and that has led to the Region 14 school district closing for the rest of the week, officials said during a news conference on Tuesday afternoon.

School buildings in the district will be closed from March 11 to 15 to deep clean and disinfect them.