Connecticut Shuts Down Restaurants’ Individual Outdoor Dining Structures
Igloos, greenhouses, and individual outdoor dining structures are now prohibited, and restaurant owners are not happy. According to an article in the Hartford Courant, state officials say it all comes down to ventilation and airflow in dining spaces, and officials are worried that these outdoor structures are not providing enough.
Without the proper airflow inside a greenhouse or igloo dining structure, it makes them more dangerous than dining inside a restaurant. David Lehman, the commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development, recently stated,
The concern with structures like igloos that don't have airflow, is that the amount of virus that can be spread there, we think is quite significant.
To say those restaurant owners who invested thousands of dollars in keeping their businesses afloat during the winter months were angry would be an understatement. Tyler Anderson, the owner of Millwrights in Simsbury, was getting ready to launch seven freestanding greenhouses as part of his outdoor dining strategy.
Anderson was especially perturbed by the DECD's decision and wasn't afraid to share his thoughts on Instagram. I'm happy to report the DECD eventually worked with Anderson on a new set of guidelines for his outdoor greenhouses at Millwrights. So far, I've seen no sign of any separate outdoor dining structures in the greater Danbury area.