Events Biz 'Pleads' With CT To Relax Coronavirus Restrictions

CONNECTICUT — State business leaders have written a letter strongly urging Gov. Ned Lamont to relax coronavirus restrictions in the events and convention industries.

In the letter, the trade association leaders "plead" with Lamont to set a specific date for the reopening of indoor events of at least 150 guests. They cite New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's recent lifting of color-coded coronavirus "zones" and their attendant restrictions across most of the state.

The eased restrictions in New York reflect the state's greatly-improved coronavirus numbers since a dramatic surge starting from Thanksgiving and extending through the holiday season. In their letter, the businessmen say Connecticut now finds itself on the same footing, "with a vaccine now being distributed and transmission rates once again steadily decreasing."

Lamont, whose state has been rolling out the vaccine faster and had the coronavirus in check earlier than neighboring states, has moved cautiously when it comes to relaxing restrictions on gatherings and restaurants. Just last week he removed the 100-person numerical cap on indoor worship via n executive order.

The trade association executives argues that the events industry is unlike others in that their revenues are the result of long-term planning by their clientele:

"If our customers and their families continue to cancel events for the spring and summer, our industry will lose another year of activity, a devastating blow to Connecticut’s economy."

The letter was signed by Scott Dolch, executive director of National Accounts for the Connecticut Restaurant Association; Shiran Nicholson, president and founder of the Connecticut Event Industry Coalition; and Robert Murdock, president/director of the Connecticut Convention and Sports Bureau.