Saying that “Connecticut”™s in pretty good shape,” Gov. Ned Lamont told the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce that a decision on further easing Covid-19-related restrictions on businesses could come in “the next few weeks.”
Acknowledging that he has been receiving an increasing number of inquiries from event planners, concert promoters, and the like, Lamont said, “Give me a couple of weeks. I don”™t want to open wide and then pull back.”
Having the “overwhelming majority” of Connecticut residents vaccinated ”“ which he said would likely take place by June or July ”“ would play a crucial role in that decision. To date, roughly 31.7% of Connecticut’s population has received at least one vaccine dose, and 17.7% are fully vaccinated.
Last night, Lamont announced that the state was accelerating its vaccination schedule.
“We”™re in relatively good shape, compared to our peers,” Lamont said of the current Covid situation, though he noted the flare-up of variants in Brooklyn and Queens, which have an approximately 10% infection rate, and in New jersey, which stands at around 9%. As of last night, Connecticut”™s infection rate stood at 3.88%.
“Starting next week we”™re going to get a boatload of vaccinations,” he added, saying that the state is scheduled to receive 200,000 shots next week.
The governor praised restaurants and small businesses for following the rules, which he said has helped bring towns “back to life.”
“The business community and state government wasn”™t always a love affair,” he quipped, saying that the two sectors had helped guide Connecticut”™s reopening strategy more or less from the start of the pandemic. Expecting the state to continue drawing “thousands and thousands” of New Yorkers to live here, he told the Chamber that “I need your help as apostles there.”
Regarding the roughly $2.6 billion in state relief that is coming from the federal American Rescue Plan, Lamont said he hoped to rely upon it to avoid tapping into the state”™s Rainy Day Fund, which stands at over $3 billion, its highest level ever.
“All the problems we have in Connecticut can be solved with good economic growth that leaves nobody behind,” he said.
The governor was questioned by Chamber President and CEO P.J. Prunty about such issues as the legalization of recreational marijuana and online and sports betting, both of which have serious momentum in the legislature.
Lamont said that up to 60% of the state”™s proceeds from marijuana sales could be used for its PILOT program, which reimburses cities and towns for state-owned and other tax-exempt properties; to fund other municipal aid initiatives; and/or to help the most distressed communities around Connecticut.
Noting that New York appears to be on the verge of legalizing cannabis, Lamont opined that too much revenue was at stake not to legalize it here.
As for sports and online betting, “I think it”™s going to be enormous” if it is legalized.
He described the agreements reached this month with the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes as “real good” for the state, its residents and the tribes, and predicted that an outlet similar to Bobby V”™s in Stamford could come to Danbury “if you want it.”
Lamont repeated his pledge that no tax increases were in the works: “I see absolutely no need to raise taxes. I want tax certainty” for businesses.
“I”™m pretty bullish” about Connecticut”™s future, the governor said, again crediting the state”™s businesses and citizens for “understanding what we did, and why we did it” when it came to closing and reopening the economy.
Earlier, Danbury Mayor Joe Cavo said that Danbury can expect “really great growth” over the next 10 years, in part because “We”™re putting Covid on the run. Hang in there.”
The event was sponsored by AT&T, and cosponsored by Nuvance Health and Linde.
