Hair salons, barbershops and casinos reopened in Connecticut Monday after being closed for more than two months due to COVID-19 restrictions and precautions. Along with the good news of these reopenings came grim new projections from the state comptroller about the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Comptroller Kevin Lembo announced a projected deficit of $619.9 million for fiscal year 2020. Lembo noted the loss of over 50% of jobs in the leisure and hospitality industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Many people in Connecticut are hurting as the pandemic continues to impact every sector of the economy,” Lembo said in a statement.
He said $2.5 billion in the Connecticut Budget Reserve (Rainy Day) Fund could close the deficit in the short term, but it will not be enough in the long term if COVID-19 continues to impact the economy.
Hair Salons And Barbershops Reopen
“This experience has been very long and very trying,” said Alexandra Marnel, owner of Capture Salon in New Haven. Marnel said Monday morning that she has missed her clients and has been working for several weeks to get the hair salon ready to reopen. She said the salon has few appointments left for the next few weeks.
The same is true at Elmwood Barbershop in West Hartford. Owner Chris Niles said he is personally booked through July, and the second barber in the shop has only a few openings. Niles said Monday morning that he is ready, though his shop won’t open until Tuesday.
“Sanitation has always been the most important thing in my barbershop,” Niles said.
Hair salons and barbershops in Connecticut are reopening under strict regulations.
Rules announced by the Department of Health and Gov. Ned Lamont include:
- Appointments are required with no waiting rooms allowed.
- Workstations must be 6 feet apart.
- Clients must wear a mask covering their nose and mouth.
- A clean smock must be provided to each client.
- Employees must wear a face mask and face shield or eye protection.
Barbershops and hair salons initially were preparing to welcome back customers May 20 as part of Lamont’s Phase One reopening plan. The governor later pushed back that date, citing concerns from owners about being ready.
Casinos Reopen To The Public
Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun reopened Monday, despite concerns from Lamont.
The governor said the state put electronic billboards on roads warning those headed to casinos about COVID-19 risks with targeted messages to visitors over 65.
Patrons at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun were greeted by staff with thermal cameras to take their temperature. Security also monitored attendance to allow only 25% of capacity. Once inside, patrons saw plexiglass at table games and certain slot machines closed to encourage social distancing.
The casinos are on tribal lands, which are sovereign nations not held to the state’s COVID-19 regulations. Both resorts have agreed to Lamont’s recommendations to prohibit out-of-state guests from staying at hotels on their property and allow only outdoor and takeout dining.
Returning Foxwoods customer Donald McKim was taking things cautiously.
“I just want to make sure -- before I go in there, try to enjoy myself, and have fun -- that everything is safe first,” McKim said.
Among the indicators McKim watched for were face masks and the use of hand sanitizer.
Valerie Adams was a part of group making a return to the casino.
“Life in quarantine sucks, and it’s good to get out,” Adams said. “It should’ve been earlier.”
Her sister-in-law Jackie Woodland agreed.
“Too long,” Woodland said. “If you’re going to get [COVID-19], you’re going to get it -- that’s all there is to it, so let’s get on with our lives.”
Reports Of COVID-19 Cases Decline
Lamont announced 539 new cases of COVID-19 in Connecticut Monday, bringing the total to 42,740. Twenty additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported in Connecticut for a total of 3,964. There have been 9,559 people hospitalized with COVID-19 and 7,124 discharged, according to public health data.
Hartford HealthCare officials said they continue to record declining numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations.
Dr. Ajay Kumar, chief clinical officer, said 98 COVID-19 patients are spread across the system’s acute care hospitals, including 35 people at Hartford Hospital.
“That’s the lowest number we have seen for a long time,” he said.
Kumar also noted that the use of ventilators has dropped with the decline in hospitalizations. About 14% of patients were on ventilators as of Monday.
Public health and medical experts predict fewer COVID-19 cases going into the summer months, but they say spikes are possible, and another wave of disease outbreak could occur in the fall. If that happens, Kumar said, it would likely be to a lesser degree than what communities saw in the first wave of the pandemic.
“We’ve reached the point here that we’ve flattened the curve quite well,” he said. “We’ve actually managed in such a way that the low-level activity we can manage and contain and mitigate as we go forward. It would not be as pronounced as it has been and hopefully will continue to be controlled as we go forward.”
Mobile Testing Unit Makes Stop In The North End Of Hartford
The Hartford HealthCare mobile testing program stopped at the Artists Collective in the North End of Hartford Monday. The mobile testing program is designed to help reach underserved populations across Connecticut with free COVID-19 testing. The program has visited nursing homes, homeless shelters and Department of Corrections sites.
“Health equality is about bringing people what they need,” Sarah Lewis, vice president of health equity for Hartford HealthCare, said in an interview Monday. Lewis said the North End was targeted because many residents have underlying conditions, people may not have a car for drive-up testing and the free testing opens the screening up to everyone.
“The virus is still here, and it’s going to be here for a while,” she said. “We still need to establish these partners and have a presence in communities.”
Trinity Health of New England announced Monday that it has opened a call center for COVID-19 testing. Trinity Health offers free, drive-through testing at Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, Saint Mary's Hospital in Waterbury, and Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford. The call center’s number is 203-709-6848.
