Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont “hesitant” to reopen bars

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said he was “hesitant” to reopen bars and nightclubs in the near future given the challenges they pose to social distancing, according to the Hartford Courant.

The state is set to allow indoor dining and gyms among other businesses to reopen next week. Bars are scheduled after that, during the third phase of the reopening. That could be around mid-July, but Lamont said he didn’t have “a specific metric, per se” to determine when bars could be deemed safe enough.

Connecticut is struggling to meet benchmarks for contact tracing and testing that are designed to inform reopening decisions, though Lamont said the state could continue with its phased plan based on other metrics. [Hartford Courant] — Dennis Lynch