Reopening Phase 2 still unclear
The signs have just gone up: “Opening May 20.”
Tarps are under construction, sanitizer deliveries are on their way, reservations books are open and businesses are taking advantage of the one perk of being forced to close — time to complete facelifts on their storefronts.
But even before the tables open and the blow dryers fire up, the question is already being asked: What’s next?
Gov. Ned Lamont has said he’s working month-to-month, and he expects Phase 2 of the state’s effort to reopen the economy will start June 20. As for what that entails, well, he’s a little less clear.
“Let’s let May 20 go, let’s see what happens in terms of activity,” Lamont said Friday during his daily news briefing, after several days of questions from reporters about what will open next.
Some of the big-ticket items such as gyms, sports events, movie theaters and weddings could be destined for phases 3 or 4, Lamont has hinted. That has led to speculation that Phase 2 could look more like an expansion of Phase 1 — more capacity for restaurants, perhaps. Maybe a few more businesses reopen, maybe the allowable group size expands a little.
He’s been keeping a close eye on the states that are moving ahead of Connecticut, like Georgia , which allowed businesses to reopen almost a month ago. There, while there weren’t many flare-ups or new outbreaks of the virus, business has been slow to rebound, Lamont has been quick to point out.
In Georgia, some businesses chose to wait longer to reopen, while others found that even though they were open, consumer confidence that it was safe to go out wasn’t in place.
“Let’s see what we can learn,” Lamont said. “It did not have the economic impact we thought it might have. Let’s figure out June 20 a little after May 20.”
Even so, discussions have begun behind the scenes about what might be included — or rather, not included — in the second round of reopening. It appears, based on conversation with the governor, his staff and members of the reopening committee, that the second phase could be the most incremental of all of the reopening phases.
“Over the next two to three weeks we’ll have a chance to analyze what the effects have been and that can give us some guidance on what to expect on June 20th,” Lamont said.
He and his advisers — including a $2 million team of consultants working through June — are watching for what the governor called “fallback.”
“Maybe there’s some flare-ups that come in from Boston or someplace.”
Oni Chukwu, executive chairman of Aventri, a software firm in Norwalk, and chairman of business subcommittee of the reopening advisory group, reiterated the committees “baby steps approach.” He referred to the phases of reopening as valves, but offered no specific details of what might be included in Phase 2.
“There will be more opening of restaurants, hopefully. Hotels will be a bit later and that will be considered as well, bars, later in the process ... And we’re going to learn a lot from the personal services that we’ve decided to open. That’s where we’ve gotten the most vocal group.”
Chukwu said things like massages might be considered, and in later phases, spectator sports, performing arts and maybe movie theaters.
“So we’re going to learn a lot as we get into this over the next two or three weeks,” Chukwu said. “The reason we’ve put in these valves is that we can dial forward and back as needed if we see there is an outbreak.”
It’ll be up to Lamont, his team and the outside consulting firm hired for $2 million, Boston Consulting Group, to figure it out. Lamont is disbanding his 48-person advisory group, despite the fanfare that came with its announcement. That volunteer committee, apparently, only signed up for one round of advising.
“We have to adjust along the way. That was part of the advice we gave our universities, by the way,” Lamont said. “Rick Levin’s committee said ‘Assume you’ll be opening in September,’” he said, referring to the higher education subgroup headed by former Yale University President Richard Levin.
He continued, citing the education group’s advice, “’But make sure if you have a contingency if you have to change course in early August, ‘cause we may have to give you the change of notice.’ That’s the world in which we live.”