State releases rules for reopening

Businesses planning to reopen after May 20 will have to navigate a series of new criteria released Friday by the state, an effort to keep people safe when they go back to work, venture to a restaurant or decide to shop offline.

The guidelines, which are expected to be released in their entirety by Saturday morning, and the slow reopening are also designed to increase public confidence that they will, in fact, be safe.

On Friday, another 77 COVID-19 fatalities were reported, bringing the statewide death toll to 2,874, according to the state Department of Public Health. There was a net decline in hospitalizations of 49, for a total of 1,327, the lowest hospital census since April 7.

In restaurants, where patrons will only be able

to dine outside, things like wearing masks at all times except when eating, contact-less payments, and disposable menus will all be required. In hair salons, blow dryers are strictly forbidden, and conversation — a hallmark of the salon experience — should be kept to a minimum to limit the spread of the virus. Masks or cloth face coverings will be required everywhere.

Regaining the public’s confidence will take time, said Department of Economic Development Commissioner David Lehman in unveiling the guidance Friday afternoon during Gov. Ned Lamont’s daily media briefing, but he’s confident the state will be able to safely return to work, albeit slowly.

And Lehman and Lamont were both clear that while May 20 is the date many businesses will be allowed to reopen, many may choose to wait.

“We’ve seen lots of survey data on how many consumers are ready to go back into that restaurant, but we’ll see that in real time later this month, and some restaurants are going to make the decision that they can’t do outdoor or with the weather, it’s hard for them to make money or make it work for them, so we’re going to need to see that here in late May and early June,” Lehman said. “My expectation is that this is going to happen very slowly and that’s what we’d like to see.”

A series of slides presented at the briefing showed models of what various businesses could look like when they reopen.

Things that have become familiar in grocery stores — like plastic dividers at the checkout counter, one-way aisles and markers designating six feet of acceptable social distance — will soon be familiar in all retail stores.

Capacity will be limited to 50 percent both in retail stores, including malls, and office spaces. And Lehman was clear, if you can continue to work from home, you should. Groups should still be kept to five people or less for the time being.

Still, the new guidance — while a strange illustration of a new normal — is likely a welcome sign for many who’ve been aching to venture out of their homes.

One source of contention though has been with restaurants, where, in many cases, outdoor dining isn’t an option. Lehman explained that because you can’t wear a mask while dining, eating indoors is less safe. That’s compared to shopping inside, where a mask can and will be required to be worn at all times.

“This slow and steady reopening in and of itself is going to build confidence,” Lehman said. “I actually think in the medium and long term, more restaurants in the Connecticut economy, that is better than potentially taking a risk where we then have to dial it back. So I think the slow and steady opening is the right thing for restaurants and for Connecticut for the longer term.”

Scott Dolch, of the Connecticut Restaurant Association, said forbidding indoor dining is unfair to the restaurant industry, which was among the first and hardest hit industries of the global pandemic.

“Our local restaurant industry knows that things cannot return to normal right away, but as malls and hair salons and others are allowed to gradually begin indoor service, as they should be, it’s illogical that restaurants would be constricted to outdoor-only service for so long,” Dolch said in a statement. “And while it’s true that a mask must be removed to eat, it’s also true that in a restaurant patrons stay in one place for almost their entire visit as opposed to browsing or circulating about, and that the area they use is cleaned and sanitized after every use.”

Lamont, during a Zoom morning-coffee gathering sponsored by the New Canaan Advertiser, a Hearst Connecticut Media publication, said he would consider allowing some restaurants to have diners indoors after New Canaan First Selectman Kevin Moynihan pointed out that there are a number of clubs and restaurants that have large windows that can open.

“The window seats effectively are outdoors, so we might try to look at this, especially at resort areas and clubs,” Moynihan said “We were kind of disappointed we didn’t get a little more relief for some indoor seating, but I think the window seats can often effectively be outdoor seating.”

“That’s a very good point,” Lamont replied. “I’ll mention that specifically and it’s the type of things we can fine tune as we go along.”

Lamont said he would work with local zoning officials to allow tables to be set up on sidewalks and parking lots. He’s also considering the use of touch-less payments, possibly including Paypal and Venmo platforms.

“We’re going to lay that out and let it simmer for a few days, a couple days and then issue the formal protocols, such as they are,” Lamont. “They may change over time. We’ll get feedback from somebody in New Canaan who says ‘this is absurd you have no idea how a nail salon works.’”

Currently hospitals and nursing homes have socalled blanket immunity against negligence lawsuits during the pandemic, which by Thursday had been linked to the deaths of 2,797 people since the first fatality on March 17. Lamont didn’t say whether his business reopening plans will include added legal protections for employers and workers.

“I have to make sure employees want to go back,” Lamont said in a 45-minute appearance before about 130 participants, including town officials. “I’ve got to make sure stores want to open and I want to make sure that customers want to go in. Look, if you follow our protocols, you ought to have some protections.”

Lamont admitted that he is following the direction of state health experts, and everything is subject to revisions over time in dealing with COVID-19, which remains mysterious in some ways.

“This is our best information about a virus that we’re still learning about every day,” Lamont said. “If you don’t follow the protocols and you’re sloppy and you’re not taking care of the infection standard that kind of gross negligence, you should continue to be liable. That’s how I think about it as a small business guy.”