Residents are urged to keep following guidelines

Holiday weekend a test for reopening model as state sees largest single-day drop in hospitalizations

Connecticut is heading into its first weekend since partially reopening and, with beaches open, the first long weekend of summer may bring some added stress for those tasked with enforcing social distancing guidelines.

Although restaurants have opened outdoor dining areas and retail stores have opened their doors, the state’s social distancing guidelines — including physical separation and mask-wearing in crowded places — remain in effect.

Gov. Ned Lamont and his team have repeatedly warned residents not to relax their discipline with those measures.

On Tuesday, the day before the initial reopening, Lamont signed an executive order that explicitly allows local law enforcement to enforce violations of the gover

nor’s coronavirus-related orders. Although numerous municipalities previously told the Courant that they preferred to educate their residents rather than arrest them, the added authority could come into play over the Memorial Day weekend.

The state has already cracked down in at least one instance — a Stonington barbershop reopened on Wednesday, the first phase of reopening, despite barbershops and hair salons being mandated to stay closed until the beginning of June. The regional health district planned to shut down the barbershop Thursday morning.

Lamont has also asked residents to report violations when they see them.

Connecticut’s state beaches never closed, but some beaches within state parks did close. Those are the ones that were slated to reopen Friday.

When residents visit any of Connecticut’s beaches, there are a number of rules they’ll have to follow. Residents must only go to the beach with household members, must leave at least 15 feet between beach blankets and must wear masks when in close proximity to others.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said it would close beaches again if the guidelines are not followed.

“Our beaches are some of our most beautiful and treasured assets,” Lamont said in a statement last week. “We want to make sure they are enjoyed up and down the East Coast in the safest possible way, especially as the summer season begins.”

The beach reopening is part of a multi-state agreement made in conjunction with Delaware, New Jersey and New York.

In other coronavirus news: t The state reported on

Friday an additional 55 coronavirus-related deaths and 432 cases. Hospitalizations fell by 76 on Friday, the largest single-day decline so far. t After Rhode Island committed to reopening indoor dining areas on June 1, the Connecticut Restaurant Association pleaded with Connecticut leadership to fasttrack the state’s restaurant reopening plan.

By the numbers

On Friday afternoon, the state released its most recent coronavirus data, which showed an additional 55 coronavirus-related deaths and 432 cases.

Fairfield County still has by far the largest number of COVID-19 cases, at nearly 15,000. That county also has nearly 1,200 coronavirusrelated deaths, according to the state data. And despite having the third-largest number of cases, Hartford County has the secondhighest death toll, with 1,155 deaths recorded so far.

Also on Friday, the state data showed hospitalizations dropped by 76, which is the largest singleday decline so far in the pandemic.

Statewide, hospitals are now caring for only 38% of the patients that they were caring for at the peak of the pandemic.

Although the state has aimed in recent days and weeks to decrease the positive test rate — that is, the percentage of coronavirus tests that come back positive — that figure has fluctuated widely over the past week. The state reported nearly 6,000 additional COVID-19 tests on Friday, bringing the total number of tests throughout the pandemic to just over 200,000.

Earlier this week, state officials said they had surpassed their goal of completing at least 42,000 tests per week by May 20. Officials said they are continuing to ramp up testing, aiming for 100,000 per week by this summer.

A plea from restaurants

On Friday, neighboring Rhode Island announced it will allow indoor restaurant dining on June 1, with some restrictions such as a maximum of 50% capacity. That state’s restaurants have been allowed to serve diners in outside areas since May 18, two days before Connecticut began a similar policy.

In response to Rhode Island’s announcement, the Connecticut Restaurant Association urged Connecticut’s leadership to fast-track the state’s indoor dining plan. Currently, under Lamont’s four-phase reopening plan, Connecticut restaurants won’t be allowed to open indoor dining areas until at least June 20.

In a Friday press release, Connecticut Restaurant Association president Scott Dolch pushed for Connecticut to allow indoor dining on June 3.

“Governor Lamont has repeatedly stressed the importance of coordinating our reopening effort with neighboring states, and [Rhode Island’s] move is a clear sign that Connecticut can and should allow similar indoor dining beginning June 3,” Dolch wrote.

Dolch wrote that reopening indoor dining areas would be “a great thing” for Connecticut’s economy and that the accelerated timeline could be accomplished through safety measures such as limited capacity and glove and mask usage.

“This won’t be a return to normal — like Rhode Island, Connecticut can take this next step with many added safety precautions,” Dolch wrote.

Courant staff writer Alex Putterman contributed to this report.