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May 15, 2020

Biz planning to reopen May 20 must self-certify they are following COVID-19 guidelines. Here’s how

HBJ Photo | Steve Laschever Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner David Lehman
By Greg Bordonaro, Michael Bingham

Eligible Connecticut businesses that plan to reopen starting May 20, must self-certify that they understand and will comply with COVID-19 rules and regulations set by the state, officials announced Thursday.

The self-certification online form is now available and can be accessed and filled out here.

The questionnaire requires companies to self-certify that they are following strict safety guidelines established by the state to keep employees and customers safe.

Upon completion of the certification process, companies are encouraged to download a safety signage and badge to display at their place of business and/or on their website. 
 
“[The Department of Economic and Community Development] and the Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group are working closely with businesses and community groups from around the state to ensure that businesses have the best possible information and access to resources to reopen safely and efficiently over the coming weeks,” said DECD Commissioner David Lehman. “Businesses want to take all the precautions necessary to protect their employees and their customers and we want to ensure they have access to all the support that is available.”

This is a sample of a self-certification badge that companies can display.

May 20 is a big day in Connecticut when businesses enter phase 1 of the reopening.

But life will not necessarily be a bowl of cherries as much uncertainty remains. 

Not even Lehman knows for sure what we’ll get. He chaired a roundtable discussion of the Reopen CT Business Advisory Committee Thursday morning to help business owners learn more about what to expect when the big day arrives — and what will be expected of them.

The panelists spanned a number of business “stakeholders” including business groups and heads of industry associations for the building trades and restaurants. It was by no means a Greek chorus of affirmation for Lamont’s phased reopening of the state’s battered economy.

“When we first started talking about shutdowns [in early March] a lot of people thought this might be three or four weeks,” said Joe Brennan, president and CEO of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA). “Now we’re two months into it, and for a lot of businesses it will go on a lot longer than that.”

“We’re extremely concerned about the overall economy,” Brennan added.

May 20 represents the beginning of phase 1 of what is projected to be a three-phase process. Lehman said he expected that a date for the beginning of phase 2 — and what industries will be included in the second cohort — would be announced some time over the next week. For now, phase 3 remains in the indeterminate future.

Next week’s phase 1 includes offices, retail stores/malls, restaurants (significantly, for outdoor dining only), hair salons/barbers and museums and zoos (also outdoor only).

The rules for phase 1 reopening were drafted based on variables specific to each industry and the kinds of physical spaces they typically occupy. How close do customers and staff come to one another, and for how long are they in close proximity? How many close interpersonal contacts are there in any given unit of time?

Also, what is the potential for modification — e.g., cleaning — of common areas such as cashier stations and restrooms. Finally, what is the economic impact of the specific industry? For instance, few industries have been impacted by the shutdown as significantly as restaurants, which have accounted for 12% of all unemployment filings in the state.

Photo | FIRST & LAST TAVERN
Outdoor seating at the former First & Last Tavern in downtown Middletown.

That’s why they are included in phase 1 of the reopening — but only for outdoor dining. That’s not good enough for Dan Meiser, who chairs the Connecticut Restaurant Association. His group is continuing to press Lamont’s office to allow “limited” indoor seating right away — or in any event no later than June 3.

“Restaurants have been hit harder than any single industry in Connecticut or this country in terms of unemployment numbers and lost revenue,” Meiser said. Of reopening with outdoor seating only during the initial phase, he added that “our 8,000 restaurants don’t feel that that’s a viable option."

The “spirited debate” over the restaurant rules seems likely to continue right up until next Wednesday’s day of decision.

For now, at least, the “social rules” for business allowed to reopen as part of phase 1 include:

  • Face masks/coverings to be worn by both customers and employees at all times
  • Gathering sizes limited to five people
  • People aged 65 and up or who have high risk factors for COVID are “encouraged” to stay home.

That’s for the customers. The operating rules for the businesses themselves in Phase 1:

  • Maximum 50% capacity of physical space
  • Rearranging physical space to maintain six feet of social distance
  • Ready availability of hand sanitizers and cleaning wipes for customers and staff
  • Frequent cleaning of high contact areas and restrooms.

The success of failure of these measures won’t be entirely evident by, say, May 21. “It all will hinge on implementation,” said Oni Chukwu, executive chairman of Norwalk’s Aventri and chair of the Reopen CT business advisory group.

“We want to get as many [businesses] open as we can,” said Garrett Sheehan, president of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce. “There’s a lot of devastation out there.”

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