Caution marks reopen start

Around the state, patrons returned to some reopened businesses in waves, while others were more cautious.

But by most accounts, the first day of the state’s long-awaited reopening — while perhaps quieter than expected — was a success.

“To me, successful was people having faith that we’re taking care of the public health aspects that we say it’s OK to go to a restaurant outside, they understood that it was safe and people are tiptoeing back in,” said Gov. Ned Lamont, during a daily briefing in which he mostly looked ahead to the next phases of reopening.

“I haven’t heard of a lot of defiance out there. People feel like we’re on the right track and I appreciate that.”

In both West Hartford and New Haven, many restaurants were closed for

lunch and many that were open were extremely quiet. Retail stores in Ridgefield didn’t see a surge in their first few hours after opening the doors, while some owners said they had higher hopes for this weekend.

Other restaurants are making plans and seeking approval to add outdoor space so they can meet the phase one regulations, but haven’t started service yet.

Bethel’s J. Lawrence restaurant, however, was fully booked for all available reservations for the night, owner Kelly LaReau said, and in New Haven, a small but loyal group of regulars happily returned to Archie Moore’s before noon. Nearly

every parking spot on Stamford’s Bedford Street was filled as diners returned to restaurants there.

At least a few out-ofstaters crossed the border to take advantage of the reopened restaurants: diners in Stamford and Milford told reporters they’d come from New York and Rhode Island.

On New Haven’s Grand Avenue, a pediatric dentist’s office reopened after three months of closure. Though the office had never been ordered closed, doctors there closed it out of caution for their patients. On Wednesday, the waiting room sat empty, while patients filled the parking lot and waited in their cars for their turn in the chair.

Next door, Martone Dry Cleaners opened for a few hours to serve the few customers

who stopped by. The business had also been closed for three months.

Though malls were allowed to reopen, many tenants inside have not yet reopened.

The state’s retail industry also was slowly coming back to life after pausing for two months.

In Norwalk’s SoNo Collection shopping mall, during the hour before noon there was very little activity.

Only a few people were waiting outside at 11 a.m. when Connecticut’s newest mall reopened to the public, and only a few stores were open to greet them, with gates remaining down for the biggest draws including Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Apple, Amazon 4-star, Camp and Pinstripes.

On the mall’s main dining

concourse, though, Pokelicious was offering Hawaiian poke on a takeout basis.

“We are working with the city of Norwalk and our restaurateurs to create the best solution possible that supports their individual businesses and provides for safety,” said Lindsay Kahn, a spokesperson for SoNo Collection operator Brookfield Properties.

At the Danbury Fair mall, roughly one of every five or six vehicles in customer lots in mid-afternoon had New York license plates, but the lot was largely empty. Lamont had expressed concern throughout the pandemic of New Yorkers pouring across the border to shop in Connecticut, which on day one of the reopening did not appear to have materialized.

While the state reopened,

the state Department of Public Health reminded local health departments they have the authority for enforcement where necessary. There were no immediate reports of required enforcement.

The Department of Public Health outlined enforcement expectations for local health directors Wednesday on their regularly scheduled weekly call.

“It’s local health departments, in coordination with police departments, that are going to be doing the enforcement,” Trumbull Health Director Luci Bango said.

On the call, DPH provided procedures and templates for enforcing the restrictions, Fairfield Health Department director Sands Cleary said. The local departments will be tasked with enforcing violations of the reopening regulations at businesses which typically fall under their jurisdiction, including restaurants and, when they reopen later, hair and nail salons. Rules about retail establishments and other businesses will be enforced by local law enforcement.

“It’s not out of line with what we do on a day-to-day basis,” he said.

Cleary said there were four inspectors out monitoring Fairfield businesses on the first day of reopening, when there were “no issues” and no complaints received.