Sam Gurwitt Photo
Sgt. William in Weeds Cafe on Dixwell Avenue.
When Sgt. William Onofrio stopped into Odie’s Place, owner Elias Defaranos had three and a half more hours in which to serve his pizzas, and he was well aware of it.
“Yeah, I heard 9:30, but everyone has to be out by 10,” he said when Onofrio introduced himself and said he was there to make sure Defaranos knew about the new Covid-19 rules for restaurants.
“You’re spot on,” replied Onofrio.
Onofrio, the Hamden Police Department’s community liaison, was at the tail end of a Covid-compliance patrol Friday evening when he stopped into the pizza joint on Whitney Avenue in Hamden. Last week, Gov. Ned Lamont scaled Connecticut back to its Phase 2 reopening guidelines as Covid-19 cases have begun to spike again in the state. The next day, the Hamden Police Department sent out a press release reminding businesses and residents of the rules, and saying it would step up enforcement.
That meant Onofrio had an assignment to carry out.
Defaranos (pictured above), like all restaurant and bar owners in the state, must now admit no more than 50 percent of his restaurant’s capacity, and must stop admitting customers at 9:30 p.m. Those who are already in the restaurant can stay until 10, at which point restaurants can do only takeout and delivery.
In the spring, when Connecticut was in the thick of its first wave of infections, Hamden had police officers doing Covid-safety patrols every day. Those daily patrols have now resumed.
Odie’s Place was one of the last stops on Onofrio’s Friday evening patrol. There were only a handful customers in the restaurant. When he opened the door, every head turned. A party of four was sitting at one booth, and two people were sitting at the bar behind the Plexiglas barriers set up on the horseshoe counter.
When Defaranos came out front, he and Onofrio chatted for a few minutes before Onofrio stepped back outside and got into his unmarked cruiser.
When he’s on duty in the evening, Onofrio said he usually does the Covid-check. Otherwise, the patrol supervisor on duty that night does it, or if a member of Onofrio’s neighborhood initiative unit is on duty, they will do it.
Onofrio.
On Friday, the checks came in two waves. First, starting as the sun set at 4:30, Onofrio drove around to businesses throughout town to make sure everyone was masked and owners were aware of the 9:30 closing time. Later in the evening, when Onofrio had returned to his desk to do administrative work, the officers on patrol would check in with businesses again to make sure they were actually following the rules.
Most of the problems so far have been with restaurants, bars, and college parties, Onofrio said. The previous week had seen a few Covid violations. There were a few Quinnipiac parties that got out of control, he said. The weekend also ended with one business shut down.
Just past midnight on Halloween, Hamden police found about 500 unmasked revelers at the Dixwell Social Lounge at 940 Dixwell Ave. They cleared the scene and reported the violation to the Quinnipiack Valley Health District (QVHD). Though Lamont did not enact Phase 2 restrictions until a few days later, Hamden Mayor Curt Leng had placed Hamden under Phase 2 the day before.
QVHD cited the lounge for not enforcing mask wearing rules and social distancing, and for permitting a large gathering and a “public health nuisance.” The state suspended the lounge’s liquor license, and QVHD issued a cease and desist order. The lounge is closed indefinitely.
That was Onofrio’s first stop Friday. Before each patrol, he said, QVHD sends him a list of businesses it wants him to check in on, and Dixwell Social Lounge was on the list.
The lights were off, and the door locked. A notice announcing the suspension of the lounge’s liquor license was taped to the door.
While some of the businesses he checks are on QVHD’s list, many are not. He said he tries to visit a variety of places so the town can cover more ground. Each time he stopped, he radioed in a case number so the department would have a record of where he visited.
He stepped into Jane Beauty Supply next door. A sign on the door warned customers that they must wear a mask to enter, and that the store would not admit more than 10 people at a time.
Everyone inside was wearing a mask. The 10-people rule would put the store well below its 50 percent maximum capacity.
Dusk had fallen when Onofrio arrived at Chazmo Café and Lounge. He walked through the door on the side of the building and entered the bar, which recently expanded. The new wood floors shone with a fresh coat of polish.
The owner, who asked to be referred to as “Chaz,” came out to greet him. Onofrio said he’s known Chaz for a long time as a responsible, law-abiding business owner.
The dimly lit room with evenly spaced tables spread throughout was almost empty, save for two men sitting at the bar. Onofrio asked Chaz how business was.
It was great when he started doing takeout, Chaz replied. “Now it’s like psss,” he said, making an air-release sound. “My business is from nine to one or two.”
It had not even been a week of the new regulations yet. Maybe customers would change their habits, Onofrio said.
Back behind the wheel, Onofrio said the department has not taken many enforcement actions yet, though by Lamont’s Executive Order 9B, it is able to issue fines. Failure to wear a mask in a place where it is required carries a $100 fine. The same penalty is applied to businesses whose employees are unmasked. Hosting a gathering that violates gathering restrictions (25 people inside, 100 outside) can be fined $500. Attending one of those gatherings can land you with a $250 penalty.
Onofrio said his patrols are more about preventing businesses from breaking rules than about enforcing them.
“These businesses are taking a hard-enough hit,” he said. “We’re not trying to make life harder for them. We’re just trying to keep everybody safe.”
After Chazmo’s, Onofrio drove North on Dixwell. On Friday, everyone Onofrio talked to seemed to know the rules.
“If you take enforcement action on one bar, everyone falls in line,” he said. Perhaps the shutdown at the Dixwell Social Lounge the previous weekend helped make Onofrio’s job a little easier Friday.
He stopped in at the Funz Trampoline Part at the Putnam Place Plaza, then continued North to the Weeds Café. The parking lot was full, but when he stepped inside, the restaurant seemed to be in compliance. The manager said she knew about the new closing time, and was keeping the restaurant at below 50 percent capacity.
Sgt. Anthony Diaz with Onofrio in Walmart.
Everything was under control at Walmart, which has hired a Hamden officer every day to help with Covid-rule enforcement. New Haven threatened to shut down the Walmart on Foxon Boulevard last week over Covid violations. There was no such problem reported at the Hamden store.
Unlike the previous one, this weekend went off mostly without a hitch. When officers went out at around closing time Friday evening to make sure businesses were following the new closing time, they didn’t encounter any problems.
Saturday was uneventful as well. On Sunday, the department got a call saying the No Worries Brewing Company was serving alcohol without serving food. Executive Order 7G prohibits some alcohol sellers from selling alcohol without selling food. That rule was extended by Executive Order 9K. When officers arrived that the brewery, the manager said she was not aware of the rule, and promptly closed.
Read Lamont’s executive orders here.
They need to check PRIVATE businesses where people work. Lots of spread because workers are not wearing masks. They don't really work with the public...but work together. Son came home and said his buddy at work tested positive. No one in the shop wears a mask. I plead with my son to wear one.