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Earlier this month, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont met with Connecticut State Department of Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona and other advisors before announcing that schools and non-essential businesses will not be re-opened until Wednesday, May 20 or later.
Advisory board co-chair Indra Nooyi, the former chief executive officer of PepsiCo, said that May 20 is not a reopening date, but is a date that they will "re-examine the spread of COVID-19 and come up with a plan for the state."
"Keeping public health issues in mind, how do we dial up the other three gears," she said. "How do we get the other levels of business working again?
This week, Lamont’s AdvanceCT board of advisors said that COVID-19 restrictions statewide likely won’t begin loosening until June, and likely will continue in some capacity through the end of the year.
The advisory board has run through multiple scenarios about reopening, including re-entry for schools, though they may have a new look when things reopen.
Officials are reportedly mulling what the safest way to open schools and businesses would be, examining things such as how many students will be allowed in cafeterias, auditoriums, or sports fields.
There have been more than 23,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Connecticut, with the death toll topping 1,600 this week.
Said Nooyi: "How do we get colleges, universities, and schools back functioning later on this month, or later on in May, or in September whenever we can? And then how do we protect our most vulnerable through it all? That's the community support."
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