Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday defended his plans to ease Covid restrictions on the state starting next week, and told CNBC he believes the decline in new infections and the distribution of vaccines give support for this measure.
“We have the vast majority of our most at-risk population now vaccinated. That’s over 65 and most people are 55 or older,” Lamont told Squawk on the Street. “That’s where 98% of hospitalizations occurred, so we’re sure March 19 is a good date to be able to reopen.”
Half of Connecticut residents age 55 and older have received at least one dose of vaccine, including three-quarters of people in the state who are 75 or older, according to data available Monday. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two shots, while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single vaccine.
Connecticut has recorded 7,725 deaths associated with Covid since the pandemic began, according to the latest state data. Of these deaths, 7,555 have been people aged 50 or over, most are at least 80 years old.
Lamont, a Democrat, announced last week his intentions to push back a series of pandemic-era restrictions in Connecticut starting March 19, including removing capacity limits for restaurants, hairdressers and churches. A state mask mandate will be maintained and Lamont still limits capacity for some companies, such as 50% for movie theaters and performing arts.
However, Lamont’s decision represents a significant step in the state’s pandemic, which along with New York and New Jersey was one of the hardest hit during Covid’s first wave last spring.
Some leaders from other states have gone beyond Lamont. Greg Abbott, Republican governor of Texas stated last week on Twitter that his status is “100% OPEN” after lifting business restrictions and a mask warrant.
Public health experts have urged Americans not to abide by the mitigation measures, although the number of daily cases falls sharply from their peak in January. Above all, with the presence of emerging virus variants, they warn that too significant relaxation can lead to a further rise in cases.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the White House, said Thursday in an interview with CNN that resuming all public health guidelines right now is “inexplicable” than the country’s new count of infections. be too high.
Lamont said the goal of his move to ease capacity constraints was to “emphasize what works.”
“The masks work. Six feet of distance work,” Lamont said. “The difference between 75% and 100% in a restaurant is very difficult to apply anyway and frankly we thought we have a very low infection rate right now, a lot of capacity in our hospitals. It was the time to make the change. “