Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont is expected to issue an executive order to allow local governments to mandate masks in stores, restaurants and other areas. It comes as New Haven County is the first in the state to reach the CDC’s high transmission level.
Some Connecticut towns and cities already required masks in local government buildings. Lamont’s order would grant them new authority to protect against coronavirus.
The state’s infection rate has risen fueled by the delta variant. The state Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended that Connecticut residents wear masks in public indoor spaces, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status.
But this has not been a mandate.
A statewide mask mandate ended in May when the coronavirus initially began to recede.
About 63% of state residents are fully vaccinated and 70% have received at least one shot.
