Lamont Mulls Giving CT Mask Mandate Authority To Local Towns

CONNECTICUT — Although the rate of hospitalization for coronavirus cases in Connecticut is the highest it has been since the middle of May, the daily positivity numbers continue to stay relatively low.

That, and the state's high rate of vaccination, are the saving graces that are currently keeping Connecticut from following in the steps of nearby New York City, where visitors and residents are now required to mask up in restaurants and businesses, according to Gov. Ned Lamont, speaking to reporters Wednesday.

Mandates are orders that governors in the Northeast "are a little loath" to give currently, Lamont said, as residents of the area have "earned a little more freedom because of their vaccinations."

Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts and Connecticut are the leaders in percent of population fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"I've been leaving it up to the restaurant owners, I think they have been erring on the side of caution," Lamont said. "I think that those who really know what it takes to keep their customers safe, and make the customers feel safe, are going to set their own requirements."

Lamont may not be so loath to empower municipal authorities to require their residents to mask back up, however.

"When it comes to mask and mask requirements, I think we're going to give a green light to mayors to have a higher security standard, if they think it's necessary," Lamont said. "Look, we've got towns where we have less than 50 percent of the people vaccinated, we have towns where 99 percent of the people are vaccinated. So I think some flexibility there makes a fair amount of sense."

The governor said he will issue the directive and more details Thursday.

The low infection rate — 3.35 percent, in the latest dataset released by the state Department of Public Health — might be what is keeping the state ahead of mandatory masking or another lockdown, but Lamont reiterated that hospitalizations are still the key metric determining how the state navigates the pandemic. Hospitalizations dropped overnight by two beds, and the number of residents being treated for COVID-19 in the state's health care facilities is now 163.

"I still feel as though we have good capacity in our hospitals, we're much better prepared," Lamont said. He told reporters he did not see the state having to "change course."

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The state health department reported another 537 cases of COVID-19 in the state on Wednesday, bringing the pandemic total to 356,701.