Legislators must be part of reopening process

It’s hard to believe, but the news cycle has become so crowded that an ongoing pandemic has been almost pushed out of public view. With protests and demonstrations continuing over the death of a black man at the hands of police in Minnesota and race relations taking center stage, the coronavirus and its impact on our way of life has for the first time in months moved away from being the nation’s top priority.

This is understandable — the number of deaths in Connecticut has continued to decline, and hospitalizations are down. The first phase of reopening the economy has gone smoothly, and Gov. Ned Lamont announced Friday that Phase 2, which will involve opening restaurants to indoor dining along with gyms and other businesses, will start ahead of schedule, on June 17. The world is seemingly returning to normal.

Still, much caution will be required. It cannot be forgotten that 4,000 state residents have died, among some 100,000-plus nationwide, from the coronavirus. While experts are still learning more about how the disease spreads, it seems at this point that outdoor transmission is much less likely than indoor. That bodes well for people who will be looking to take advantage of summer weather and get out of the houses they’ve been mostly stuck in since March, but it also means people need to exercise caution as indoor businesses reopen their doors. This is not going to be as simple as returning to a pre-COVID-19 lifestyle as if nothing has changed.

And as the state continues on this path, it’s important that all levels of government play a role. Lamont acted quickly and decisively in the pandemic’s early stages to close schools and businesses and try to limit the worst of the virus’ spread. He has generally done well listening to constituents’ concerns and has been receptive to changing direction when necessary.

But with the worst of the crisis seemingly waning, it’s time to bring in state legislators for a more active role in state decision-making. Nearly every call to date has come from the governor’s office alone, and that’s how it had to be. There was no time at first for the typical push and pull of legislation as the state faced an immediate crisis. The emergency powers granted to Lamont were necessary and put to good use.

It’s now time to move to the next phase, which will involve full participation of the Legislature along with the governor in making major decisions. Though the Assembly has officially adjourned, a special session is likely to be called this summer, with no shortage of potential topics on the agenda. Deciding next steps in the state’s reopening process should be included.

With a part-time Legislature and a full-time crisis, there will continue to be times when Lamont needs to act alone. The pandemic will not wait for the legislative cycle to catch up and more emergency measures could be needed in the event of a second wave of the virus. But the time has come for re-engaging with state legislators to let them do the jobs they were elected to do.