Conn. to lift myriad COVID-19 restrictions, including capacity limits at restaurants, gyms
HARTFORD, CT (1010 WINS) -- Connecticut will lift a bevy of COVID-19 restrictions — including capacity limits at houses of worship, restaurants, gyms and other businesses — amid high vaccination rates and dwindling virus cases, Gov. Ned Lamont said Thursday.
The state will eliminate capacity limits at the following businesses starting Friday, March 19, Lamont said in a press release:
• Restaurants (the eight-person-per table rule and 11 p.m. dining room closing time will remain in place)
• Retail stores
• Libraries
• Personal service businesses
• Indoor recreation (excluding theaters, which will still be capped at 50% capacity)
• Gyms/fitness centers
• Museums, aquariums and zoos
• Offices
• Houses of worship
The state will also make the following changes to its COVID-19 restrictions within the next month, Lamont said:
Starting Friday, March 19:
• Twenty-five people will be allowed at indoor gatherings at private residences; 100 will be allowed at outdoor gatherings
• One hundred people will be allowed at indoor gatherings at commercial venues; 200 people will be allowed at outdoor gatherings
• All sports will be allowed to practice and compete, and all sports tournaments will be allowed, subject to health department guidance
• Connecticut's travel advisory will become a recommendation rather than a requirement
Starting Monday, March 29:
• Capacity limits on early childhood classes will increase from 16 to 20
Starting Thursday, April 1:
• Large event venues like stadiums will be allowed to reopen
Starting Friday, April 2:
• Outdoor amusement parks will be allowed to reopen
• Capacity at outdoor event venues will increase to 50%, with a 10,000 person cap
• Indoor stadiums will be allowed to reopen at 10% capacity
• Summer camps and summer festivals will be advised to start planning to reopen
Connecticut residents will still be required to wear face coverings indoors, and bars that only serve drinks will be required to remain closed, Lamont noted. Events at restaurants and other venues, meanwhile, will still have to wrap up at 11 p.m.
"While it is encouraging to see the number of cases in our state gradually going down and people getting vaccinated at rates that are among the highest in the nation, we need to continue taking this virus seriously to mitigate its spread as much as possible," Lamont said in a statement.
"Please continue to wear face coverings in public and when around other people outside of your households, maintain social distancing, and keep washing your hands and cleaning surfaces," he added. "Connecticut has made tremendous strides to combat this pandemic, and we don't want to lose the progress that we've made."
Connecticut reported 15 new COVID-19-related fatalities on Thursday, Lamont said.
Of the 47,132 COVID-19 test results that came back in the state on Wednesday, 878, or 1.86 percent, were positive, he said.
As of Wednesday night, 433 Connecticut residents were hospitalized with COVID-19, down from 18 on Tuesday night.
Nearly 75 percent of Connecticut residents over the age of 75, meanwhile, had been vaccinated as of Wednesday, the governor noted.
