With Connecticut”™s rate of positive Covid-19 cases continuing to rise steadily, Gov. Ned Lamont has ordered the entire state to roll back to what he called “a slightly modified version” of the previously enacted Phase 2 rules ”“ which he called “Phase 2.1” ”“ effective at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 6.
The major changes that will occur under Phase 2.1 include:
- Restaurants will reduce to 50% capacity with a maximum of 8 people limited to a table;
- Restaurants and entertainment venues (i.e. bowling allies, movie theaters, arcades, etc.) will be required to close by 9:30 p.m., with the exception of food takeout and delivery services, which will be allowed to continue after 9:30 p.m.;
- Personal services, such as hair salons and barber shops, will remain at 75% capacity;
- Event venues will be limited to 25 people indoor, 50 people outdoor;
- Performing arts venues and movie theaters will have a capacity of 100 people; and
- Religious gatherings will be limited to 50% capacity or 100 people maximum.
Employers are being reminded to maximize telework to the extent possible, and those over 60 and with chronic conditions are urged to remain home as much as is feasible.
The governor is expected to soon issue an executive order implementing Phase 2.1, and the Department of Economic and Community Development in the coming days will provide businesses with further guidance on the changes.
Lamont”™s action supersedes the state”™s “red alert” guidelines, which allowed municipalities to roll back from Phase 3 to Phase 2 if they recorded a daily coronavirus case average above 15 cases per 100,000 people. At last count, 30 municipalities qualified, including Bridgeport, Danbury, Norwalk and Stamford.
“A lot of towns took the initiative themselves to roll back to Phase 2,” Lamont noted at a press conference yesterday. “Others said, ”˜I”™d be a lot more inclined to roll back to Phase 2 if I could get other towns in my cohort, my region to do the same thing.”™ Pretty soon, as we looked around, the state was more like one as you saw the number of red splotches on that map.”
In a statement, Connecticut Restaurant Association Executive Director Scott Dolch expressed his hopes that the rollback will be short-lived.
Saying that the dining industry “was hit sooner and hit harder by this pandemic than nearly any other,” Dolch noted that, “In recent days, Gov. Lamont has said the recent uptick in Covid cases is not being driven by restaurants, and we greatly appreciate that acknowledgement.
“We hope he and his administration will keep this fact in mind during the weeks and months ahead as we continue working with them to help local restaurants make it through this winter and through this pandemic,” he added.
As a caveat, Dolch said: “In making today”™s announcement, the governor noted that other states are using a similar closing time, but failed to mention that those states also have small business grant programs that dwarf what Connecticut is currently offering. Given the nature of our businesses, putting a hard stop on their ability to serve customers after 9:30 p.m. and not offering new options for grants or forgivable loans will be the final straw for many Connecticut small businesses already just barely keeping their doors open.”
