Gov. Lamont moves up phase two reopening in Connecticut, says indoor restaurants, hotels, gyms and movie theaters can open June 17

Gov. Ned Lamont said Friday he was moving up the date to June 17 to allow the reopening of restaurants, movie theaters, gyms and hotels because Connecticut has continued to make progress containing the coronavirus.

Originally Lamont’s reopening strategy called for a phase two to begin on June 20, but that date has now been changed to June 17. The restaurant industry has pushed for an even earlier reopening, saying many locations are struggling to survive.

“It’s a head start on Father’s Day. It gives them a few extra days to prepare,” Lamont said Friday. “Our [COVID-19] positivity rate has been very low over the last week.”

“It’s time to get our holiday season going,” Lamont said during remarks at a press conference outside St. Francis Hospital & Medical Center. Guidelines for restaurants and other businesses, which will be issued in coming days, will have limits on capacity and requirements for mask-wearing and social distancing, he said.

There have been 4,038 COVID-19 deaths in Connecticut and the state has reported 43,460 confirmed cases as of June 5. A steadily declining hospitalization rate has led Lamont to relax restrictions imposed in March, shutting down much of the state’s economy for months.

About 350 people are still hospitalized in Connecticut with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Lamont has ambitious plans to test 100,000 state residents weekly by June 20, but thus far has been unable to increase the number beyond about 40,000 tests per week.

Lamont’s new order does not permit bars to reopen, but the amusement parks, museums, zoos, bowling alleys, libraries, nail salons and all fitness and sports clubs will be allowed to resume business. The new plan also permits libraries and some youth sports programs to open up again.

Steve Matiatos, the president of the Connecticut Lodging Association, said it’s the “right time” to reopen the state’s hotels. He served as part of Lamont’s Reopen Connecticut advisory group, along with representatives from other business organizations.

“I think the hotels have taken this time to really plan effectively. We had to make sure we had all the right resources and right equipment in, so the time spent was well utilized,” he said. “We’ve all definitely followed the principle of health first, and making sure we’re well prepared.”

Restaurant owners said they were grateful for the earlier start but also wary that it would make a significant difference.

“Every little bit helps,” said Billy Grant, who owns Restaurant Bricco in West Hartford and Bricco Trattoria in Glastonbury. He also hopes to add outdoor seating in West Hartford, as the town plans to convert parking spaces to dining corrals.

“But we, as an industry, need to get back to as close to 100% as we can. … The sooner we can get back to 100%, the closer we’re going to be able to get back to some potential profitability, which I don’t think is going to be until probably next year.”

The addition of outdoor dining has been helpful for both of his restaurants, he said, but at the same time, he’s noted a reduction in takeout.

Anthony Sullo, co-owner of Joey Garlic’s in Newington and Manchester and Joey’s Pizza Pie in West Hartford, said he’s excited to be able to open sooner. The Newington and Manchester restaurants are large, with 180 to 200 seats, so “we’re hoping to get half of that.”

Sullo is appreciative of the timing, too, he said. Reintroducing indoor dining on a Saturday would have been difficult, he said, especially before Father’s Day, which is a busy holiday for his restaurants.

Phil Barnett, co-owner and co-founder of Hartford Restaurant Group, said he’s glad the June 20 date was modified.

“Trying to open a restaurant on a Saturday is near impossible,” he said, adding that his teams will have to adjust to new safety protocols when they move indoors. He said he would have preferred a Monday reopening date, as restaurants are slower on that day of the week.

Barnett said his restaurants, including nine Wood-n-Tap locations across the state and Que Whiskey Kitchen in Southington, will work toward opening for indoor dining. Guests have been enjoying themselves on outdoor patios where offered, he said.

In terms of customers coming back to dine indoors, “we won’t know until we see,” he said. “But we owe to our guests and our staff to make sure we’re practicing all our safe sanitary measures and have all our PPE.”

“Where we currently are, we know that’s not a sustainable model for a long time. Every step toward getting back to 100% occupancy is a better step to knowing we’ll have longevity within the hospitality industry as a company.”

Scott Dolch, executive director of the Connecticut Restaurant Association, noted in a statement Friday that Connecticut restaurants have been closed for indoor service for more than 80 days.

“When COVID began, the restaurant industry did not ask or demand to remain open indoors. Rather, our owners understood the gravity of this problem, and they knew they had to step up and be part of the solution, even though it meant putting their businesses and their livelihoods at risk,” he said.

“We’ve advocated for earlier dates than this, pointing to the incredible job restaurants have done to serve people safely and protect their employees. At the same time, this date will thankfully put us ahead of neighboring Massachusetts and New York in this regard. Given that Connecticut restaurants make up 10% of our state economy, it’s critical that we not fall behind regionally and every day counts.

”No one will know for some time what the true impact of this pandemic has been on our businesses or on our state economy — only time will tell the full story,” Dolch said. “What we do know is that throughout this entire process, Gov. Lamont has and his administration have remained responsive and open to our calls, even when we’ve disagreed. We appreciate their open door, and we thank the governor for providing clarity on this timeline. Connecticut restaurants are ready for this next step.”