HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - The first step in a gradual, multi-stage process of lifting restrictions on businesses and activities in Connecticut, including allowing outdoor dining at restaurants, is expected to begin on May 20, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Thursday.
Remaining retail establishments, hair and nail services, outdoor exhibits at zoos and museums, outdoor recreation such as camping and mountain biking, and university research programs will also be allowed to open on that date with certain restrictions, barring any major flareups of COVID-19 or major issues with testing and contact tracing. Employees at offices will still be encouraged to continue working from home where possible.
“We still recommend anybody that can telecommute to do so,” Lamont said. “But if there’s some need for some people to go back, this is a time you can start putting your foot in the water there.”
Meanwhile, older people and those with preexisting conditions are still encouraged to remain at home as of May 20.
Lamont said an announcement will be made next week about when schools might reopen and restrictions on social gatherings might be lifted. The governor’s advisory committee has been working plans for four levels of reopening the state, which become less and less restrictive over time.
“We will not move from one level to another any less than four weeks between them. But they could be eight or 10 weeks based on what kind of health metrics and performance metrics come out,” said Indra Nooyi, co-chair of the Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group. “So once we open this first round of businesses, we will learn so much about how long it’s going to take to the next level.”
Scott Dolch, executive director of the Connecticut Restaurant Association said while allowing outdoor dining is a step toward reopening, his group fears it’s not nearly enough to save thousands of restaurants on the brink of going out of business.
“We’re asking the group to be flexible as they refine these plans, and we stand ready to help them do it,” he said in a written statement.
Thursday’s announcement comes as the state continues to see declining numbers of hospitalizations statewide. They dropped by 41 since Wednesday, to 1,650. Meanwhile, the number of deaths increased by 89 to 2,257.
Dr. Albert Ko, the other co-chair of Lamont’s advisory committee, said the panel hopes to have COVID-19 testing ramped up to about 42,000 a day by May 20. Approximately 4,000 tests a week are being conducted now. Also, the panel is looking at other benchmarks that signal it’s okay to begin reopening, including a 14-day decline in hospitalizations, sufficient contract tracing capacity, an adequate supply of personal protective equipment, appropriate social distancing rules in place and protections for vulnerable residents.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness.
In other coronavirus developments:
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SCHOOL OPENINGS
The state’s largest teachers union has urged Gov. Ned Lamont to be very cautious before deciding whether to reopen schools this spring. An announcement is expected next week.
Jeff Leake, the president of the Connecticut Education Association, wrote Thursday that the state must not bow to the pressure to reopen public schools and businesses prematurely.
“Easing up on social distancing too quickly could be deadly,” he wrote.
Before opening the schools, Leake said, the state must develop new protocols designed to keep students and teachers safe, including for the daily cleaning of classrooms, hallways and bathrooms. He suggested staggered start times, new seating formats and changing the way students walk down the halls between periods.
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ABSENTEE BALLOTS
A coalition of advisory groups sent a letter Thursday to Lamont, urging him to issue an executive order allowing voting by mail in Connecticut.
The organizations also said makes sense during the coronavirus pandemic that voters are able to request absentee ballots electronically, reducing foot traffic in town clerks’ offices.
“We believe you have a responsibility to ensure that we can vote safely without risking our lives or the lives of others in the process of casting our votes during this COVID-19 pandemic-especially since the November 3rd general election could be happening amidst an autumn coronavirus resurgence,” read the letter, which includes some groups that have pushed legislation in the past that authorized vote-by-mail in Connecticut.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill previously wrote her own letter to Lamont, urging him to temporarily expand the use of absentee ballots.
Lamont on Thursday expressed support for allowing some form of expanded absentee balloting for the June 2 presidential primary.
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MARINE MAMMAL TESTING
Mystic Aquarium has announced it is collaborating with scientists at Tufts University to develop a test for the coronavirus in marine mammals.
Dr. Tracy Romano, a neuroimmunologist at the aquarium, said marine mammals, and especially whales, may have developed a capacity to fight off certain pathogens.
Understanding how they do that could have implications for fighting the coronavirus in humans, she said.
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