What will Lamont do?
As COVID-19 metrics worsen, mask mandate, travel restrictions and vaccine requirement for state employees are all on the table
With COVID-19 cases rising quickly in Connecticut and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommending vaccinated people wear masks in parts of the country with high transmission, Gov. Ned Lamont faces a series of choices.
Will he reinstate a statewide mask mandate? Will he target restrictions to counties with particularly high levels of COVID19? Will he implement travel restrictions or other similar control measures? Will he mandate vaccination for state employees, as some other states have done? Or will he hold off for now and hope for the best over the coming weeks?
These options gained a particular urgency Wednesday afternoon, as Hartford and New London Counties both passed the threshold for what the CDC considers “substantial” COVID-19 transmission. Under the CDC’S new guidance, all residences in those counties are advised to wear masks indoors in public, regardless of vaccination status.
At a news conference Wednesday, Lamont didn’t commit to any particular path forward but left the door open to all of the above options.
“It’s tougher now,” Lamont said. “Two weeks ago, the Capitol was being circled by protesters saying the emergency is over, get off my back. That didn’t happen nine months ago. Nine months ago, [when] we were talking about some of the rules, Connecticut had been hit hard along with New York and New Jersey and people were ready to do everything they could to keep themselves and their families safe. So there’s a little bit of a balance you have to get there, but I want to do everything I can to make sure kids can get to schools safely.”
Connecticut has seen a notable increase
in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks, likely due to the emergence of the highly contagious delta variant. As of Wednesday, the state’s seven-day positivity rate (2.38%) was the highest it had been since late April.
Here are some of Lamont’s options to help stem the spread:
Require masks for hard-hit counties
The CDC announced Tuesday it would now recommend masking indoors in public for all residents of hard-hit areas, regardless of vaccination status. As of Wednesday, Hartford and New London Counties qualify under the CDC’S definition of “substantial” transmission, while New Haven, Fairfield, Middlesex and Tolland Counties are not far off.
Lamont said Wednesday that he would be open to different rules for different counties, noting that transmission and vaccination rates vary from place to place.
“The reality is we’re losing the battle again.”dr. Ulysses Wu, infectious disease specialist at Hartford Healthcare
Dr. Ulysses Wu, an infectious disease specialist at Hartford Healthcare, said the CDC’S recommendation makes sense given where most U.S. states find themselves.
“It’s a necessary recommendation,” Wu said. “The reality is that we’re losing the battle again.”
Wu said a county-by-county approach could make sense in containing COVID-19. Uconn Health epidemiologist Dr. David Banach agreed, saying targeted restrictions reflect the reality of the current stage of the pandemic.
“The idea of using metrics to guide the need for additional preventive measures is a good approach,” Banach said. “The focus is on areas where there’s high transmission, which are also linked to low vaccine coverage. Added layers of protection like indoor masking can be useful in those types of environments.”
Mandate masks statewide (including in schools)
If Lamont doesn’t want to differentiate between one county and the next — particularly as cases rise statewide — he could reimpose a statewide mask mandate, similar to the one that was in place until May.
Wu said he doesn’t support the idea of a mandate quite yet but that Connecticut could be headed in that direction.
“We don’t need to go to a mandate now, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens soon,” Wu said. “It really depends on steps 1, 2 and 3: vaccination, social distancing and masking.”
Still, Wu said he recommends people avoid crowded places and wear masks when around strangers.
“When you do go out, if you’re around people who you don’t know [if they] are vaccinated, I would definitely recommend wearing a mask,” he said. “I still wear a mask indoors everywhere I go.”
One of the biggest questions facing Lamont is whether to mandate masks in K-12 schools. Some parents have argued that masks are unnecessary for kids given the low likelihood they’ll become serious ill from COVID19, while others note that children, many of whom are not yet eligible for vaccination, can still contract and transmit the disease.
Lamont has not committed either way on masking in schools but said Wednesday he would make a decision “within the next two weeks.”
Require vaccination or regular testing for state employees
Unlike some leaders across the nation, including the governors of New York and California, Lamont said Wednesday that he was not yet prepared to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for state employees.
“Do I have the power to simply do that? I think I have to sit down with the state employees and talk to them,” he said. “As you know, the emergency powers go until Sept. 30, so I better be talking to the legislature as well.”
Lamont said that New York and California’s new policies, which require government employees to either provide proof of a COVID19 vaccination or submit to weekly testing, “makes the most sense.” He added that vaccination rates vary by department in Connecticut government.
Lamont also criticized the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for not yet fully approving the COVID19 vaccines, which are currently authorized for emergency use.
“That would make our lives a lot easier, before anyone starts talking about mandates,” he said. “But if they can’t make up their minds, we’ll have to.”
On Monday, when California announced its policy, the federal Department of Veterans Affairs became the first federal agency to require mandatory vaccinations, announcing that its more than 100,000 health care workers must either receive a COVID-19 vaccination in the next two months or face penalties, including possible termination.
By Wednesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the state’s tens of thousands of state employees would be required to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or face weekly testing. President Biden is expected to announce Thursday that all civilian federal workers be vaccinated or be tested regularly.
Restrict travel from high-risk states
Earlier this week, Lamont floated the possibility of a new COVID-19 travel advisory that would restrict visitors from states with high levels of transmission.
“I’ve got to talk to my neighboring governors,” Lamont said Monday. “Right now there’s nothing anticipated, but we’re looking at what’s going on in those states in the south that are much more infected than we are.”
Though emergency powers allow him to enact restrictions unilaterally, Lamont has said he may engage the legislature on future measures.
“I’ve got to work with the legislature,” Lamont said Tuesday. “My emergency powers go until Sept. 30, so it’s probably a good thing to work with them.”
None of the above
Of course, Lamont could also do nothing at all, as some other governors have pledged, likely leading to increased COVID-19 spread.
Lamont on Wednesday cited the advice of former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who has noted that cases in the United Kingdom are dropping once again following a rapid spike.
“He says he’s looked at what’s going on in Britain, where he sees the seven day infection average going down, not up, the implication being that the infection with the delta variant is ripping through those communities,” Lamont said. “So his advice to me was, ‘Wait a little bit longer. There’s so much we don’t know and so much changes every couple of weeks.’ ”
Connecticut could simply wait out the current increase and hope the state’s relatively high vaccination rate is enough to protect it.