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Covid-19: Date Set For Expected Start Of CT Reopening Phase 2

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has laid out the base plan for Connecticut’s second and third phases of reopening the economy as the state continues climbing out of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Amusement parks are among the businesses that could open in Connecticut during Phase 2.

Amusement parks are among the businesses that could open in Connecticut during Phase 2.

 Photo Credit: Facebook
Zak Failla
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The first phase began on Wednesday, May 20, with the second scheduled to kick off approximately a month later on Saturday, June 20, though the exact rules of the reopening during the second and third phases have yet to be determined.

Lamont said that businesses will be made aware at least two weeks before the opening date.

Businesses expected to reopen during Phase 2: 

  • All personal services such as nail salons, tattoo parlors, and barbershops;
  • Movie theaters;
  • Outdoor arts, entertainment, and events up to 50 people;
  • Bowling alleys;
  • Social clubs and pools;
  • Indoor restaurant service;
  • Hotels;
  • Museums;
  • Zoos;
  • Outdoor amusement parks;
  • Public libraries;
  • Youth sports.

Before entering phase 2, Lamont said that the state will have to be administering at least 100,000 COVID-19 tests per week, and contact tracing cases must be complete within 48 hours.

Hospitals must have less than 20 percent of beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, with less than a 100 net increase in hospitalizations from the last week of phase one. There will also be a testing plan in place for essential workers on the front lines.

Phase three will begin at least four weeks after phase 2 is implemented, at which point some bars, indoor amusement parks, and event spaces could potentially reopen.

“We have to make sure we have safety protocols in place that employees feel safe and you feel safe going back," Lamont said. “Phase 2 is about a month after phase 1.

“(Around) June 20, we’ll be looking at the metrics, where we are over the next couple of weeks,” he added. “That will be really important as we give you the guidance a couple of weeks before June 20 and beyond.”

As of Thursday, May 21, the Connecticut Department of Health said that there have been 39,208 positive COVID-19 cases, resulting in 3,582 fatalities. There have been 14,751 confirmed cases in Fairfield County and 1,303 in Litchfield County. Currently, there are 816 COVID-19 patients in Connecticut hospitals.

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