Rocky Hill, CT – The Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE) took the initiative in late April 2020 to convene a committee of CASE Members and/or Members of the National Academies to develop concepts for consideration by the Office of the Governor for addressing the ongoing challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CASE committee met concurrent to the Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group and other efforts by the Office of the Governor to reopen the state of Connecticut. Consequently, the focus of this study was not on the initial reopening but on concepts that will be needed as part of a sustainable response to the ongoing pandemic challenge.

The White Paper aligns with CASE’s mission to provide expert guidance on issues of science and technology for the social and economic well-being of the people and the state of Connecticut. The members of the CASE White Paper Committee, with diverse backgrounds from academia and industry, collectively represented the areas of public health, medicine, science, engineering, and technology.

The decision-making process for reopening the state is being conducted in a complex, dynamic environment that requires continuous adaptation to reduce the risks and increase benefits to public health and the economy. Decisions in this environment are not either/or, but more nuanced and require a deft touch to adapt to changing levels of risk. These difficult choices involve highly interconnected systems where the direct and unintended outcomes are often uncertain. To this end, CASE looked at this challenge from a risk-based systems perspective.

This white paper was prepared to respectfully serve the state by offering our initial ideas as an additional resource to other guidance being provided to the state. CASE is available to further serve the state by exploring any of these or other areas that fall within our expertise if called upon.

To access/download the White Paper: CASE – An Adaptive Risk-Based Strategy for Connecticut’s Ongoing COVID-19 Response