Some small Connecticut businesses may be able to start reopening in the next couple of weeks under restrictions, Governor Ned Lamont said.
The governor's comments came Tuesday during an interview on MSNBC's "All In With Chris Hayes."
"My hunch is you'll see some of the small main street businesses that have only been open for delivery maybe be able to let some people in there over the course of the next couple of weeks provided you're wearing a mask and they can socially distance," Lamont said.
The state has seen seven straight days of declining net hospitalizations, according to Lamont.
"That's the key metric," he said.
The federal government's reopening plan calls for 14 days of straight decreases before moving towards reopening.
The governor's Reopen Connecticut Advisory board is expected to make a recommendation to him on Thursday.
The governor said residents should not expect a larger scale reopening right away.
"I think what they opened in Georgia will be the last things we open," Lamont said. "Those are the places, massage, bars and the such. They are tough to socially distance and they are going to take a while."
Lamont told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday no decision has been made about students returning to school before the summer break, but he is working with teachers to help prepare students to return in the fall.
"We said we'd make that determination before May 20 but I've got to tell you all of our neighboring states have closed their schools," Lamont said. "There's nothing I'd rather do than keep them open. We'll make up our mind in about 10 days."
Lamont said social distancing will be a restriction in the state for a while.
"We're going to be doing social distancing for quite some time," Lamont said. "Seniors and the most vulnerable population are going to be social distancing for quite some time. You know whether that small retail store on Main Street in Torrington can open up if people have masks, I think that will come sooner rather than later."
