Two major Connecticut reopening milestones are coming up next month, according to Gov. Ned Lamont:
May 1: bars and nightclubs reopen; curfew moved back to midnight
May 19: "all remaining business restrictions" lifted
Details were released during the governor's Monday news conference, heard live on WTIC.
The May 19th move means the end of capacity mandates at all businesses. That change is welcomed by the Connecticut Restaurant Association, which has been calling for a limit to restrictions for many months.
The governor says that restaurants have done a good job following his executive mandates, and he expects they'll also perform well navigating what's left of the pandemic on their own.
"They're making sure that they have enough spacing," says Lamont, "and have the mask requirement and keep the disinfecting in place so that people want to come into their restaurant and they feel safe doing that. And, at this point, I think I'm going to pass that judgement to the restaurants because they have pretty good judgement on how to do it safely."
The future of the statewide mask mandate beyond May 19th is unclear. The governor's emergency powers expire May 20th.
"We’re engaged with the legislature on what things look like past May 19," says the governor's spokesman, Max Reiss, "and whether they would need to codify an EO (executive order) for an indoor mask mandate."
Hartford Yard Goats President Tim Restall joined the conference, and had good news for fans. When capacity restrictions are lifted around the state on May 19th, a full crowd can be admitted to Dunkin' Donuts Park.