HARTFORD, CT. (1010 WINS) -- The number of coronavirus cases in Connecticut is approaching 20,000, as an additional 1,853 cases brings the statewide total to 19,815, Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday, the same day that an executive order requiring people to wear masks in public kicks off at 8 p.m.

Lamont also announced that there had been an additional 204 deaths, bringing the statewide death toll to 1,331.

Across the state, 1,919 people have been hospitalized -- that figure, at least, only increased by 19.

Testing continues in the state: An additional 3,047 have been testing, bringing the total of those tested to 62,806.

UPDATE: Daily COVID-19 data in Connecticut



- 19,815 people tested positive (+1,853)

- 1,331 people have died (+204)

- 1,919 people are hospitalized (+18)

- 62,806 patients have been tested (+3,047)



For more data sets, visit https://t.co/FpgO8W27I0 pic.twitter.com/1MAqPy3Yvg — Governor Ned Lamont (@GovNedLamont) April 20, 2020

“These numbers are bouncing around a little bit,” Lamont said. “When you see 1,853 positive cases you go, 'My God, that’s an awful lot.' Or 204 fatalities. That’s an awful lot.”

“In this case, the CDC changed their definition, in the last few days, of both a positive case and somebody who dies of complications related to COVID, or if somebody had COVID-like symptoms and passed away," Lamont explained. "Over the weekend we went down, and that hasn’t happened two days in a row since… the start of the crisis. This time we went up a little bit, but you’ll see as we go forward, the trend line is still down."

The governor said his team believes Fairfield County has “hit the apex.” New Haven’s hospitalizations are “flattening out,” he added, while Hartford’s hospitalizations are still “picking up.”

“We’re not out of the woods,” Lamont warned, citing countries that loosened up on social distancing and saw an increase in COVID-19 infections. “So we’re going to monitor this very carefully."