The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Phase 2 forecast: Slow reopening across Conn.
Wednesday marks the day many people have been waiting for — most businesses are allowed to open their doors in some capacity after months with the lights off due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the anticipation, business owners aren’t expecting a rush on indoor dining or a frantic dash to the nearest tattoo shop or amusement park.
Earlier this month, Gov.
Ned Lamont moved phase two of reopening the state’s economy up three days to June 17 in an effort to avoid a mass opening in conjunction with Father’s Day weekend. The soft opening may be apt, as it seems many businesses are counting on a slow start.
Many won’t open until June 20 or later anyway.
Phase two includes indoor dining, with tables set at least six feet apart; gyms and fitness centers; personal services such as nail salons and tattoo shops; formal events such as weddings; hotels and motels; outdoor amusement parks; libraries; pools and social clubs; and museums and aquariums. Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo, which reopened outdoors only, will be allowed to reopen its indoor pavilions.
All businesses and activities will continue to have strict guidelines for social distancing including limits on the numbers of people allowed.
Click on https:// bit.ly/2UQrpIa for the state rules and restrictions for every type of business that’s reopening.
Indoor dining
At the Bedford Street Diner in Stamford, coowner David Agostino said he’s happy to resume indoor dining at the restaurant that serves many of the jurors and court staff at the nearby courthouse.
The diner took a severe financial hit from the shutdown, he said, and making up some of those losses
would be a relief. But Agostino said he sees a gradual return of customers. The diner has offered outdoor seating since May 20 — not something the diner had prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The shutdown lasted too long in my opinion,” he said.
For restaurants that were able to open outdoor dining in Phase 1, which began May 20, “You’re following a lot of the same procedures,” Harbor Lights owner Carol Gavrielidis said Tuesday as she prepared to open indoor dining at the Norwalk restaurant.
But for those starting from scratch, opening inside dining presents a new set of challenges.
The Harbor Lights staff was removing tables, and on Wednesday morning, will begin rearranging them to make sure they are the required distance apart.
Not every restaurant is ready to make the leap to indoor dining. Gavrielidis said her other restaurant, Station House Bar and Grill, will remain closed until Phase 3 — now scheduled for mid- to late July.
“Harbor Lights has a lot of windows,” she said. “People are going to feel comfortable coming in because we’re going to open all the doors and windows … but a lot of people are still afraid.”
At Miku Sushi Bar on Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich, owner K Dong said they will not open for indoor dining at this point.
“We’re doing takeout and outdoor dining, we’re focused on that. I don’t think we’re ready for it, indoor dining. We want to see how it goes first,” he said, and he didn’t want to rush. “We’re trying to do the best for our customers and employees.”
Entertainment
George Frantzis, a coowner of the 112-year old Quassy Amusement Park and Waterpark in Middlebury, won’t welcome families back until June 20 despite the additional three days. And he’s not expecting the park to be busy that day.
Normally, by this time in the year, Quassy would be filled with school field trips and camp groups, But with all of those group trips canceled, Frantzis expects social distancing in the park won’t be difficult.
“It’s tough to tell what to expect,” Frantzis said. “At the end of the day, we did a bunch of big camp and schools business. If you take that out of the equation, that’s 35 to 40 buses a day. It can be a big decrease. Our attendance is supposed to be at 25 percent and I don’t think we’ll have any problem staying within that.”
He gathers that some people are comfortable returning, others not — about a 50-50 split.
“So nobody really knows what it’ll be like,” he said. “We’re going to take it one day at a time and do what we can do to provide a product that everyone is comfortable with.”
Norwalk’s Maritime Aquarium will open to the public on Saturday with advance reservations only, but aquarium members will be able to visit a few days earlier, beginning Thursday, according to the aquarium’s website.
The Prospector Theater in Ridgefield will reopen Wednesday at half-capacity with masks required unless patrons are eating, according to its website. The nonprofit theater provides employment to people with disabilities, who the organization calls “prospects.”
“We’re excited to welcome you back to the movies,” a video on the theater’s Facebook page states. “The health and safety of prospects and guests is our No. 1 priority. We’ve updated policies and procedures to prepare for your arrival. Although your experience will be a little bit different, our sparkle is still the same.”
Automatic hand sanitization stations are set up throughout the building, with automatic soap dispensers in the bathroom and staff cleaning more frequently. Each theater has its own fresh-air intake system. Ushers will direct patrons to socially distanced seating.
Gyms and other fitness facilities
Pure Physique, a Danbury gym, plans to open Wednesday. The private gym had already operated by appointment only with personal trainers and groups of no more than four, owner Doug Schur said.
“With our space, it’s easy to space everyone at least six feet apart,” he said. “There weren’t many changes that need to be made, except now we’re going to be wearing masks, of course.”
He said he expects pushback from clients, who must wear masks within 12 feet of each other under the state rules.
Classes normally start at 6 a.m., but Wednesday’s first class is at 8 a.m.
“People are a little hesitant to come back, especially our older clients,” Schur said.
And while temperatures may be warming up outside, Bridgeport’s Wonderland of Ice rink will open this week to welcome back athletes who’ve missed an entire season on the ice. Even so, General Manager Lisa Fedick isn’t expecting a rush of people.
“Our diehard skaters, I think, are happy to get back on the ice,” Fedick said. “We have hockey players, figure skaters who've been off the ice for three months. That's kind of a lifetime.”
It won't be business as usual for Wednesday’s reopening, Fedick said. The rink won’t be open to public skating and skating will be by appointment only. Locker rooms will also remain closed.
So making ends meet in the short term may be tricky, Fedick said. Ice rinks aren’t as popular in the summer months anyway, and she’ll need to schedule gaps between groups using the ice in order to sanitize the rink.
“But with that,” Fedick said, echoing so many business managers and owners, “we're thrilled to be open on any level.”
Even though gyms and health clubs are permitted to reopen Wednesday, some are taking a little extra time.
The Southington-Cheshire Community YMCAs are waiting until June 22 to reopen. Mark Pooler, the organization's chief executive officer, said part of the reason the extra time to reopen is needed is because Gov. Ned Lamont had originally slated the phase two opening for June 20.
"When he moved it up to the 17th, that caught a lot of people (in this business) off guard," Pooler said. "We didn't get the full set of guidelines for reopening until the evening of the 8th."
Pooler said his staff has been consulting with YMCA's in Rhode Island and in the southern part of the United States, which have already been reopened for several weeks, to assess how many members will return initially.
"Based on what they're seeing in Rhode Island, we figure we will be at 20-to-30 percent of the number of people we'd normally see at this time of the year," he said.
Once the SouthingtonCheshire Y's facilities reopen, Pooler said members will have wear masks and have their temperature's taken to get in. Members will have to wear masks while using some pieces of exercise equipment, but not all devices.
"Some things that we're able to move, like treadmills, are now 12 feet apart and members won't be required to wear masks while using those," he said.
Hotels and motels
Connecticut hotels that were open throughout the arrival of coronavirus restrictions have been operating at about 15-to-20 percent of capacity, according to John Lombardo, Saybrook Point Resort and Marina in Old Saybrook. But Lombardo said he is optimistic that tourists will return to Connecticut.
"We actually have a couple nights already where our reservations are at or near capacity," he said. "July 4th is sold out."
The Saybrook Point Resort has 104 guest rooms spread across several buildings in a campus-like ocean front setting, Lombardo said. The state's public health rules require that the resort operate at 50 percent of capacity, he said.
For much of the time since mid-March, the rooms at the main Inn building were closed to guests, allowing plenty of time to fully disinfect those rooms and provide guest with more than adequate social distancing.
"By virtue of operating that way, the resort has been thoroughly cleaned," Lombardo said.
Saybrook Point has established what officials there call the "Spotless Saybrook
Program." The program incorporates strict safety rules mandated by the State of Connecticut with recommendations from the hotel industry’s top associations.
The resort's housekeeping staff will be using electrostatic sprayers to disinfect public spaces and guest rooms," Lombardo said. The cleaning technology send an electric charge through the disinfectant spray, which creates a mist that clings to surfaces, he said.
After each guest's stay, housekeeping will use the electrostatic sprayers to reclean the rooms. Because the resort can't operate at full capacity, rooms will be able to be vacant for several days in between use.
One a room has been disinfected, a seal will be placed on the exterior that will show the date the room was last cleaned and by whom, according to Lombardo.
Printed guest directories are being replaced with scannable QR codes that will provide the information online, he said. And the resort has an app that will allow guest to order room service and have it delivered to multiple locations on the campus.
In addition to the safety precautions that have been put in place, officials at Saybrook Point have spent $500,000 in making enhancements to the property, Lombardo said.
Those enhancements include a new partially enclosed seating area that allows guests to take in water views year-round as well as an upgraded outdoor sound system and new patio heaters. The resort’s health club and pool areas have also been renovated, he said.