Between Saturday and Sunday Governor Ned Lamont released an Executive Order opening up capacities for church services and graduation ceremonies, and released guidelines for the segment of businesses that will be cleared to reopen June 17.

The governor's office reported that as of June 5 at 8:30 pm, the total of laboratory-confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases reported among Connecticut residents was 43,818; including 41,743 laboratory-confirmed and 2,075 probable cases.

On June 5, 333 patients were hospitalized with laboratory confirmed COVID-19, and there have been 4,055 COVID-19-associated deaths. In Newtown, the state Dept of Public Health reports there have been 225 confirmed and probable cases and 31 deaths.

That same day, Lamont today signed his 51st Executive Order - No. 7XX enacting the following provisions:

Modification of safety rules for drive-in religious gatherings: Makes modifications to Executive Order No. 7TT to provide that “drive-in” religious, spiritual, and worship gatherings at which all attendees remain in their vehicles may be held with no limitations on capacity if either vehicle windows remain closed or vehicles remain at least six feet apart and participants wear masks or cloth face coverings.

Safety rules for drive-in graduations: Permits drive-in graduation ceremonies at which all attendees remain in their vehicles except for graduates briefly leaving their vehicles to receive diplomas to be held with no limitations on capacity if either vehicle windows remain closed or vehicles remain at least six feet apart and all attendees wear masks or cloth face coverings.

Suspension of the involuntary discharge of nursing facility residents and residential care home residents who may be discharged to homeless shelters, except during emergency situations or with respect to COVID-19 recovered discharges: Suspends the involuntary discharge of residents from nursing homes or residential care homes to homeless shelters for the duration of the declared emergency.

This suspension excludes emergency situations when the individual presents a danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the resident or other residents or staff, including the refusal to comply with established COVID-19 infection control or social distancing measures that could also endanger staff, and does not apply to specific aspects of the Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 medical surge plan as addressed in Executive Order No. 7Y.

Phase 2 Details

The Newtown Bee previously reported that Lamont announced Phase 2 of Connecticut’s reopening efforts is being moved up a few days to Wednesday, June 17 to avoid having it take effect during the busy Father’s Day weekend. It previously had been scheduled for Saturday, June 20.

Then on Sunday, the governor will release additional safety guidance for businesses that fall under Phase 2 early next week.

The governor stressed that the decision to reopen during this phase rests with each individual business owner – they are not required to open if they do not choose, however if they do they must follow the rules as prescribed. The protocols were developed by Governor Lamont, members of his administration, and the Department of Economic and Community Development, in consultation with legislators and recommendations made by the Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group, which consisted of several of the state’s leading medical experts and representatives of business and industry groups.

Phase 2 includes the following sectors: amusement parks, hotels, indoor dining, indoor museums, zoos, and aquariums, indoor recreation (bowling, movie theaters, etc), libraries, outdoor events, personal services (nail salons, tattoo parlors, etc), as well as sports and fitness facilities (gyms, fitness centers, pools, etc).

The sector-specific rules include detailed information and requirements about physical distancing, facility capacity, hygiene, sanitizing, signage, personal protective equipment (PPE), scheduling, training, and more.

Beginning Monday, June 8, businesses and nonprofits planning to reopen during Phase 2 on June 17 will need to visit Connecticut’s self-certification website to certify that they are compliant with the reopening rules for their sector.

To review the full set of Phase 2 sector guidelines CLICK HERE

And be sure to check newtownbee.com for all COVID-19 news of note relevant to the community - and follow The Bee on Facebook and Twitter for updates, emergency announcements, hyperlocal traffic advisories and breaking news.