Here's Where CT Still Requires Masks, Distancing As of May 19

CONNECTICUT — Like toddlers with no sense of time or decency, pandemic-weary Connecticut residents have been asking "Are we there yet?" for the past month.

That day is now upon us.

Beginning Wednesday, a mask will no longer be required outdoors in the state, and only those not vaccinated against COVID-19 will be required to wear them indoors. The state is also lifting all social distancing protocols, inside and out, as well as curfews. Businesses, state and local government offices have the option of keeping the mandate in place. Gov. Ned Lamont first announced his plans to lift the restrictions Apr. 19.

Regardless of your vaccination status, masks will still be required in certain settings such as health care facilities; public and private transit; facilities housing vulnerable populations, such as homeless shelters; correctional facilities; schools; and child care.

Businesses that choose to maintain a mask mandate are free to do so. The widespread availability of bogus vaccine verification cards and absence of any kind of official vaccine passport means shopkeepers will rely on the honor system to screen patrons, if they even bother.

The number of national retail chains with Connecticut locations that will not require vaccinated customers to wear masks is growing daily. As of Tuesday, BJ's, Costco, CVS, Home Depot, Kohl's, Starbucks, Target, Trader Joe's and Walmart agreed to follow the CDC guidelines where they don't conflict with local mandates.

Some Connecticut businesses, such as Stew Leonard's, will drop the mask rules for customers but keep them in place for their employees. Leonard told Lamont during a news conference Monday that he will monitor his customers' reaction to masking through Memorial Day, at which point he will make a decision on whether to ease up on his workers.

Lamont has advised residents to expect some more fine-tuning.

On Wednesday, the Connecticut Department of Public Health is expected to issue revised recommendations and considerations for masks in businesses, large gatherings and events, and other settings, as well as more detailed descriptions of the settings where masks will continue to be required.

We would still be peeling away layers of regulations were it not for the surprise move by the Centers for Disease Control on Thursday, dropping recommendations that vaccinated people wear a mask in most settings. The new guidance found state governments and the media flat-footed: Lamont admitted to being blindsided by the announcement during a news conference Monday.

The governor said he was, ultimately, comfortable with the guidance from the CDC, as he believed business-owners knew their customers best and would make the right decisions.

The CDC's guidance has been the "science" that so many states' governors — including Connecticut's — vowed to be following throughout the pandemic. The agency's guidance was typically stricter than the recommendations from the White House through most of 2020, and dismissed by many states, most notably Florida and Texas, in favor of reopening earlier.

The sudden shift at the national level still has many state governments scrambling. Shortly after the CDC made its announcement, New York's Gov. Andrew Cuomo said his state would not be dropping its mask restrictions. On Monday, Cuomo reversed course, and fell into step with Lamont's new plan. Over in New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy's heels are still dug in. Murphy has cited his state's population density as just one of the reasons he no longer complies with the CDC's guidance. Pennsylvania and Vermont have dropped their mask mandates, but Massachusetts will continue to require the vaccinated to wear them indoors through May 29. Rhode Island lifted its mandate on Tuesday,

On Thursday, Lamont said the state Department of Public Health would continue to keep a close eye on the number of residents admitted into hospitals each day for COVID-19. The daily hospitalization rate has been the prime metric, along with the positivity rate, that informs state health officials on how to ramp up or scale back coronavirus restrictions. Happily, that metric has been in free fall since the third week of April.

The number of residents hospitalized with COVID-19 has dropped to the lowest point since Oct. 11. There are 168 state residents hospitalized with the virus, down two beds in the past 24 hours, according to the state Department of Public Health.

An additional 81 cases of the coronavirus were confirmed Monday in the state, bringing that total to 345,720. With 7,239 tests reported, the daily positivity rate now sits at 1.12 percent, down about two-tenths of a point.

Coronavirus-associated deaths across the state rose by four on Monday. The COVID-19 death toll in Connecticut now stands at 8,198.

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