Covid-19: CT Stores, Supermarkets Ordered To Enforce Social Distancing Measures

On Wednesday, April 1, Lamont signed his 20th executive order, which will require retail stores and supermarkets to take additional protective measures to reduce the transmission of the virus.

The “Safe Store Rules” take effect as of Friday, April 3.

Stores will have occupancy capped at 50 percent of store capacity, and at the entrance, staff members will maintain a count of the number of customers entering and exiting. There must also be 6-foot spacing lines on the floors at checkout liens and other high-traffic areas.

Signage and floor markings must be posted to direct customers and limit bottlenecks, and aisles will be one-way in stores to maximize spacing between customers. Plexiglas shields will also be installed to separate employees from customers at checkout lines and other areas.

There have now been 3,557 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Connecticut, which resulted in 85 deaths. In Fairfield County, there have been 1,986 confirmed cases, with 359 patients hospitalized. There have been 46 fatalities in the county since the outbreak.

Other “Safe Store Rules” enacted by Lamont include: 

• Communicate with customers through in-store signage, and public service announcements and advertisements, there should only be one person per household during shopping trips, whenever possible;
• Discontinue all self-serve foods (e.g., salad bar, olive bar) and product sampling;
• Allow “touchless” credit card transactions. If not possible, sanitize credit card machines (including pen) regularly and consistently;
• Cart and basket handles sanitized between uses (by staff);
• Wherever possible, employees will wear gloves and face masks at all times that they are interacting with customers and/or handling products.

"This virus attacks our most fragile populations without mercy, and we will definitely see some hard days ahead," Lamont said. "This also stresses the importance of staying home and limiting your exposure to other people. Your life and the lives of those you love could literally depend on it." 

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