Good Neighbors: Busy Day for New Yorkers at Danbury Fair Mall.

The first Saturday of commerce since mid-March brought shoppers back to the Danbury Fair Mall. Vehicles from New York and some from New Jersey were thick on the ground in the mall parking lot. New Yorkers from neighboring Rockland County comprise a hefty share of the mall’s patrons—and sales tax payers.

There are no restrictions on the number or age of out-of-state patrons visiting Danbury Fair Mall or any other retail establishment in the state. Through the pandemic, Connecticut has been more receptive to and cooperative with bordering states than Rhode Island’s duplicitous governor, Gina Raimondo. Early in the public health crisis the issued an executive order requiring New Yorkers in the state to self-quarantine for 14 days, whether or not they had symptoms of the unique coronavirus. Raimondo deployed state troopers to the Connecticut border to enforce her order against New Yorkers. The Democratic venture capitalist retreated a day later, after a phone call from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has been less successful dealing with Raimondo, who briefly served as national co-chair of Michael Bloomberg’s billion dollar foray into presidential politics. Raimondo, according to Lamont, persuaded him to order the delay the opening of salons and barbershops less than 48 hours before they were to begin serving customers on May 20th.

Raimondo announced on May 22nd that Rhode Island would begin to allow some indoor restaurant dining on June 1st. Lamont had announced Connecticut restaurants could expand their service to limited indoor dining on June 10th. Raimondo has eviscerated interstate cooperation in lifting restrictions on economic activity, though Lamont may be reluctant to recognize his trust has been misplaced.