Thumbs up, thumbs down
Thumbs up
to a step in the right direction toward a more pedestrian friendly Greenwich Avenue. The Planning and Zoning Commission approved upgrades to the intersection with Elm Street to widen the sidewalk and raise the pavement in the roadway. The curb extensions are expected to reduce the amount of walking time it takes to cross Greenwich Avenue by about 40 percent. As it also includes benches and plantings, we hope it can become a model for other corners.
Thumbs downto Connecticut reaching the 100,000 mark in COVID cases on Friday, as the statewide death toll rose to 4,828. Gov. Ned Lamont didn’t hold back from acknowledging the looming threat of numbers rising even higher in the near future. The governor has been seeking to leave no doubt that youth sports need to cease in Connecticut. Other severe mandates loom, including a possible return to closing indoor dining and gyms. We’ve been through this before, so it’s in the hands of residents to brace for another wave by sticking to rules that should not bear repeating to anyone after more than eight months.
Thumbs downto the continued struggles of restaurants amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Connecticut Restaurant Association, some 600 state restaurants have either gone out of business this year or have closed and have no set plans to reopen. Necessary though they are to slow the spread of the deadly disease, official restrictions on indoor dining have been a death knell for many businesses, and the climate will only get more difficult as outdoor dining recedes. What is needed is a coordinated rescue plan from the federal government that will pay businesses to stay closed, allowing them a chance to reopen when the danger has passed. So far, that kind of help hasn’t arrived.
Thumbs downto the millions of Americans who are crowding airports this week, reasoning that flies in the face of logic. Many airlines are recognizing that tickets were bought before another wave of the pandemic kicked in, offering vouchers. Early numbers are not promising. More than 2 million people were reportedly screened at U.S. airports on Friday, a number that hasn’t been reached since March. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Americans not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household. COVID-19 is not taking a holiday. This lack of discipline will likely result in more grim numbers in the weeks to come.
Thumbs up to the potential for federal help on Connecticut’s longstanding transportation funding woes. With tolls a nonstarter and the state’s Special Transportation Fund looking at shortages in years to come, a possible solution, at least temporarily, could come from a Biden administration stimulus package that would likely include significant aid to states in need. Connecticut is far from alone in facing trouble in the form of diminishing returns from the gas tax, which is limited as people turn to electric cars in greater numbers. But with a gas tax increase also likely not happening, the money has to come from somewhere.
Thumbs up
to the launch of an app by the state of Connecticut that can alert users if they have been in contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19. More than half-a-million residents signed up after the app became available nearly two weeks ago. It lets users know whether they have spent more than 15 minutes within 6 feet of someone infected, who remains anonymous. Though the alert does not happen quickly and that delay will have to be improved, the use of technology to help stem the spread of the virus is a plus.