By Paul Hughes, Republican-American
Shopping trips, dining out and going to the office will mean following state protocols on face coverings, physical distancing and other precautions to limit exposure to COVID-19.
State officials Saturday released general and industry-specific reopening rules and recommendations for the first group of businesses scheduled to reopen to the public May 20.
Gov. Ned Lamont ordered some businesses to shut down or close to the public shortly after he declared public health and civil preparedness emergencies in early March.
The first group allowed to reopen includes restaurants, professional offices, hair salons and barbershops, retail stores, indoor malls, and outdoor museums and zoos. Lamont plans to reopen more businesses and give more leeway to those already open every four to six weeks as long as public health conditions permit. On this tentative schedule, the rolling reopening should be completed in the second half of September.
The administration conditioned the first reopening phase on a sustained 14-day decline in hospitalizations for COVID-19, adequate testing and contact-tracing programs, and sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment.
STORE OWNERS ARE ITCHING to reopen May 20 under the new rules released Saturday, said Timothy Phelan, president of Connecticut Retail Merchants Association.
“There may be one or two areas that we still need to talk to them about, but overall we’re ready, and we don’t see anything in here that will be a major problem for us,” he said.
Phelan helped draft the state protocols as a member of the Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group, an independent, privately-run panel that is preparing reopening recommendations for Lamont’s consideration.
Clothing stores must close fitting rooms to avoid the virus spreading from items that infected customers try on but do not buy.
Food and drink establishments inside shopping malls are restricted to takeout service. All indoor seating areas must be closed off, but places with outdoor seating can serve dine-in customers in accordance with restaurant rules.
RESTAURANTS WILL BE LIMITED to outdoor dining and takeout, and bars must remain closed. Restaurant tables must be at least 6 feet apart, and the distances between tables must be measured from the closest chair at one table to the closest chair at another table.
Tables and chairs must be cleaned between sittings. Bathrooms and common spaces must also be cleaned frequently. Only packaged or rolled tableware can be used, as well as disposable or digital menus or menu boards only. Customers must wear masks or face coverings except while dining. Workers in the front and the back must wear masks and gloves.
The protocols for barbers and hair stylists direct they limit conversations as much as possible because they work so close to customers. There will be no walk-ins, no waiting, and only so many customers at a time. Customers must wear face coverings, and barbers and hair stylists must be masked and gloved, and they will need face shields or wear eye protection. Each customer gets a clean smock.
Barber’s chairs and styling stations must be 6 feet apart or partitioned and cleaned and disinfected after every use, and scissors, combs, brushes and whatever else barbers and stylist use, too.
Museums and zoos are required to calculate maximum safe occupancy for each exhibit space to keep social distancing between groups and adhere to limits on the number of people who may gather together.
Office space must be rearranged to maintain 6 feet of distance between employees, and the position of desks must be staggered so employees can avoid sitting opposite each other. Employers are encouraged to continue to have office employees work from home.
State officials will be working with municipal officials to enforce reopening rules, and officials may consider suspending or revoking licenses of businesses that fail to follow the rules.
In the meantime, eligible businesses must certify to the state Department of Economic and Community Development they are complying with reopening mandates before opening May 20. The certification system will be online beginning sometime this week.
BUSINESSES ARE RESPONSIBLE for PPE for their employees at their own cost.
Employers are being advised now to estimate what they require and start procuring masks, gloves and other needed items. If businesses do not have adequate PPE, they cannot open.
Phelan said he has heard from CRMA members looking for PPE, and the trade group is exploring bulk-purchasing options to help them.
“Everybody is running around trying to get the necessary supplies to get up and running, and they’re just going to do the best they can do, just like customers are going to do the best they can to make sure they have face coverings when they come into the store,” he said.
Other costs businesses face involve partitions and signs reinforcing new policies on social distancing, cleaning and disinfection protocols, and PPE for customers.
“I think we anticipate each individual retailer will have to absorb that cost,” Phelan said. “Overall, we are fine with the rules.”
