Connecticut Restaurants Go To Full Capacity Friday, But With Restrictions

It's been a long time coming, but this Friday, restaurants in Connecticut will be allowed to go to 100% capacity, but that doesn't mean there will be no restrictions.

Almost a year to the date that restaurants were ordered closed due to the pandemic, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has lifted restrictions and is now allowing restaurants to go to 100% capacity.

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Now that may sound like good news, but there are still some strict restrictions that will be in place.

The new 100% capacity order will only allow restaurants to seat eight people at a table, face coverings, frequent cleaning and sanitizing, and social distancing will still be in full effect, and restaurants will also still be required to close by 11 PM.

Yorkside Pizza owner George Koutramanis spoke to wthn.com about how lifting restrictions really won't be helping out the cause all that much.

It’s gonna go to 100 percent capacity but with social distancing, most restaurants are gonna probably be between 50 and 70 percent because you still have to have some feet in between them…We’ll probably end up picking up another 10-15 people and every little bit helps, and with student life coming back to the Elm City little by little, the 100% capacity is still limiting.

Other restaurant owners like Maria Torto said the lifting of restrictions is a tease, especially given the fact that tables still have to be far apart.

Saying we can increase our capacity with no limits but still having the six feet social distancing doesn’t really give us the option to add any more tables…It doesn’t really help restaurants now.

Just recently Dr. Anthony Fauci talked about the possibility of the CDC easing the social distancing to three feet instead of six feet, but until that happens restaurants will still have to be creative with the way they operate.