Play the odds to contain coronavirus

For some residents, Phase I of reopening Connecticut attracted consumers who were eager, enthusiastic ... even cocky.

Their counterparts remained at home, doubtful, anxious ... even fearful. Somewhere out there are residents tiptoeing the middle ground of caution, mindfully following advice on how to reunite with the universe at large.

What they share in common is a desire that the numbers of deaths and infections related to the coronavirus continue to drop, and Phase II can arrive on schedule June 20.

It’s a long four weeks away. If things go well, that’s the day gyms, beauty salons, outdoor amusement parks, museums and the like will open, along with that hub of everyman entertainment — the movie theater.

A lot can go wrong in a month. For all the outdoor toasts to the latest Opening Day at sidewalk cafes, there were discomforting signs of friends scorning social distancing like teenagers climbing fences to closed public parks in acts of rebellion.

There is no Magic 8 Ball revealing the right answers for Gov. Ned Lamont and his peers. They can only heed the advice of health experts and be prudent. It’s not a perfect system, which is why Lamont is struggling with the issue of salons.

Imagine how this might play out if all businesses were left to their own devices, leaving impulses and caution to collide.

Consider the one industry that holds the right to ignore the governor’s mandate. Maybe you’ve never been to Foxwoods Resort Casino or Mohegan Sun. Maybe you’re not a gambler. But the ultimate gamble is about to play out at these two Connecticut casinos.

Because they are run by the Mohegan Tribe and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which are sovereign nations, the casinos can open without the approval of the governor’s office. So they plan to open portions of the facilities June 1.

Lamont was so displeased with the decision he used the word “risky” four times in a sentence.

“I think that’s incredibly risky and it’s risky for the people that work at the casinos, it’s risky for the people that go to the casinos, it’s risky for the region because you have a lot of employees who go back out through the region,” Lamont said.

It’s also risky because it will undoubtedly draw people from other states, regardless of a pledge not to market outside of Connecticut and Rhode Island. And casino visitors tend to stay for hours. Plus it’s all indoors, precisely the reason restaurants are restricted to takeout and outdoor dining.

Management at the casinos contend they are prepared with safety protocols exceeding those suggested by the state.

But in these times when “essential” takes on new meanings, it’s hard to see anything essential

There is no Magic 8 Ball revealing the right answers for Gov. Ned Lamont and his peers. They can only heed the advice of health experts and be prudent.

about gambling.

Connecticut still records some 50 fatalities a day related to the pandemic. We advise against playing those numbers.

This is no time to gamble, with your own life or with the lives of strangers.