UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday he does not plan to mandate booster shots for certain workers or reissue statewide indoor mask mandates in stores and restaurants. That’s despite new COVID-19 infection numbers that are the highest in nearly a year and news of the omicron variant being identified in different parts of the world.
The Democrat, however, said he does expect that masking requirements in schools will remain in place for now.
“If we were thinking about relaxing the masks in schools, I think we’re going to take some time on that. The kids are getting vaccinated but still, the vast majority are not vaccinated,” he said, noting that local municipalities will continue to decide whether to impose indoor masking rules.
Lamont said he doesn’t see a need yet to require certain workers to get a booster shot, noting Connecticut ranks among the top 10 states for people getting the third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The governor said encouraging people to get the additional shot is easier than issuing mandates and requirements.
Over the past two weeks, the rolling average of daily new cases has increased by 267.4 infections, or 70.8%, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins. One in every 791 people in Connecticut tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week.
Data released Tuesday show 11 more virus-related hospitalizations since Monday, for a total of 365 patients. Lamont said he doesn’t see that number creating a capacity issue in Connecticut’s hospitals, noting there were 2,000 hospitalizations during the peak of the pandemic over a year ago.