- Attorneys speaking at a CBIA webinar say businesses should proceed cautiously as Connecticut moves toward full reopening on Wednesday
- State will lift remaining business restrictions as well as an indoor mask mandate for fully vaccinated individuals
- Businesses are tasked with setting their own policies for employees and customers
Summary by Dirk Langeveld
Attorneys speaking at the Connecticut Business & Industry Association‘s HR Hotline webinar recommended that Connecticut businesses proceed cautiously as the state prepares to lift most of its COVID-19 business restrictions on Wednesday.
Nick Zaino and Vincent Farisello, attorneys with Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessy, spoke with CBIA’s Diane Mokriski at the event. They recommended that businesses retain any COVID-19 protocols that can benefit employees, including enhanced cleaning measures and having hand sanitizer readily available. The attorneys also cautioned that COVID-19 vaccines are not 100 percent effective, and that companies should be prepared to conduct contact tracing and isolate any affected employees in the event of a breakthrough case.
- Connecticut is set to lift all remaining business restrictions on Wednesday, including an indoor mask mandate for fully vaccinated individuals in most locations
- State officials will not enforce a requirement that unvaccinated individuals should continue to wear masks, leaving the matter to businesses
- Strategy raises questions about how businesses might enforce the rule, as well as safety concerns related to the risk of unvaccinated individuals not wearing masks and potentially spreading the virus
- Business policies could include relying on an honor system, mandating that employees be vaccinated before returning to work, or continuing mask requirements
- Connecticut’s latest data shows that 47 percent of the state’s adult population is fully vaccinated, with vaccines recently becoming available to children ages 12 and up
