Stamford, Connecticut, has cut in half the number the people its fire marshal may allow in a room. The new ordinance is in response to the coronavirus, and it goes into effect Monday.
Connecticut already restricts public gatherings to no more than 250 people. Stamford Mayor David Martin says his city is going further than that. That’s why the ordinance is aimed at reducing the number of people allowed in any room. So restaurants and hotel ballrooms will only be allowed half of their designated capacity.
“I don’t want to find out later that because of a big party at a bar on a Friday night, we now have a hotspot that is spreading coronavirus.”
Martin says the city health department and the fire marshal will enforce the new regulation.
The city of New Haven has a similar emergency order reducing room capacity allowed in public establishments that took effect Sunday.
Meanwhile, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont says he is discussing restrictions on bars and restaurants with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.
“It doesn’t make any sense for Connecticut to do something and New York not, because then people just go across the border. So I will be meeting with Andrew Cuomo as early as tomorrow. I just talked with Phil Murphy. And this is a place that I think we are going to be working together.”
He says an 8 or 9 p.m. curfew on bars and restaurants might be considered.
He would encourage people to do take-out to help keep restaurants in business.
