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Ex. AGY-ST-AGRICULTURE-PARKS-WILDLIFE-009 Context (guidance or announcement) Primary source read

News release, 'State Parks to Reduce Visitor Capacity During COVID-19 Pandemic' (capacity closures; walk-in prohibition; picnicking prohibited)

State Parks to Reduce Visitor Capacity During COVID-19 Pandemic

Connecticut DEEP (Commissioner Katie Dykes), under Executive Order No. 7R · Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (State agency) (State)

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The COVID Project
Context, not an order

This record is guidance or an announcement kept for context. It is not counted among the orders in force.

The record

Jurisdiction
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (State agency) · Connecticut
Level
State
Authority
Executive Order No. 7R (Mar. 31, 2020) (authorizing DEEP to prohibit walk-in visitors and impose penalties); Executive Order No. 7N (Ex. CT-010) (gatherings over five prohibited); Conn. Gen. Stat. § 28-9
Issued
2020-04-01 Apr. 1, 2020
Effective
2020-04-01
End
Capacity limits continued through the 2020 season (Ex. 010, May 20, 2020; Ex. 011) (read as 2020-09-30)
In force
Apr. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2020
Quarters
2020 Q22020 Q3
Limitation types
Business closureCapacity limitGathering cap
Addressees
  • State park visitors
  • the public
Functions reached
  • CB customer base (capacity-limited access; daily closures)
  • GATH picnicking and groups over five prohibited
  • AM amenities (concessions at closed lots)
  • TV day-trip travel
Character
context
Collection
State agriculture, parks and wildlife agencies AGY-ST-AGRICULTURE-PARKS-WILDLIFE

Operative words

Executive Order No. 7R authorizing the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to prohibit walk-in visitors at State Parks in an effort to maintain social distancing in parks and outdoor spaces. Concurrently, DEEP is announcing plans to limit parking capacity at certain parks to manage visitor levels.... DEEP... is closing parking lots when lots become full and lowering parking thresholds where necessary.... Executive Order No. 7R provides DEEP discretion to impose penalties on individuals who enter parks after they have reached capacity. These penalties include fines and even arrest, up to and including Class D felony charges for interfering or obstructing any lawful civil preparedness activity.... DEEP will begin to implement operational changes to prohibit picnicking at state park locations.

Enforcement

Fines and arrest under Executive Order 7R; Class D felony for interfering with civil preparedness activity (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 28-22)

Notes

Daily capacity closures continued into the summer of 2020 (Ex. 010).

Retrieval note

Executive Order 7R itself is not in the CT State file as indexed on 2026-09-26; cite by name and date.

A record of The COVID Project. The instrument's text is the source's; the summary fields are The COVID Project's reading of it. Not legal advice.