Gov. Ned Lamont signed an executive order Sunday that extends the use of telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Telehealth services allow health care providers to interact with patients without needing to meet in person.  This socially distant method can be done through video conferencing and telephones.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Gov. Lamont issued an executive order to relax certain laws regulating these services.

The Connecticut General Assembly met in July 2020 during a special session and adopted a public act that codified those provisions of the governor’s executive order into state statute and also provided additional flexibility on these services. 

The public act was set to expire on March 15, 2021, but the governor said that patients continue to benefit from the expanded use of telehealth services and that it’s too early for the provisions relaxing those regulations to end.

The new order extends its expiration date to April 20, 2021.