New Canaan Offers Masks To Businesses In Preparation Of Reopening

NEW CANAAN, CT — The town is offering a free supply of disposable face masks to small businesses in New Canaan as the state prepares for reopening from the coronavirus shutdowns, Emergency Management Director Mike Handler announced.

On Thursday, Gov. Ned Lamont issued preliminary guidance on the topic of reopening the state beginning on May 20. Included in the plans, restaurants will be allowed to open for outdoor dining only, and retail and other "non-essential" shops also will be allowed to open. Establishments will still be required to practice social distancing.

"In preparation for the days to come, any small business in New Canaan is welcome to stop by the Vine Cottage [Friday, May 1] between the hours of [noon] and 4 pm to pick up a supply of free disposable face masks," Handler said.

The town reported its 23rd coronavirus-related death on Wednesday, and the number of confirmed cases in town stood at 186, according to Handler. New Canaan's numbers for Thursday were not available. (Don't miss local and statewide news about coronavirus developments and precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.)

Statewide, there are 27,700 total confirmed coronavirus cases, 2,257 deaths and 1,650 hospitalizations; and for the eighth straight day the number of hospitalizations declined. State officials are hoping for at least two weeks of declining hospitalizations before reopening Connecticut.

"As the State approaches its 8th day of declining hospitalizations, we are seeing a light at the end

of the tunnel with respect to re-opening parts of our economy," Handler said. "As I have mentioned previously, we have been planning for this and will be ready to advise and support our businesses when the time comes for them to re-open. Without giving any specifics, the governor today suggested that if the trend in hospitalizations continues he is prepared to lift restrictions on the following: restaurants for outdoor dining only, non-essential retail, offices but still suggests continued working from home, personal services like hair and nail salons, museums, outdoor recreation and university research programs. I want to emphasize that these segments of the economy were listed as likely to open with restrictions on May 20th if supported by the current trends in CT hospitalizations."