The state will move forward with the soft reopen of the economy as planned next week, Gov. Ned Lamont says.

Lamont made the announcement that the May 20 date stands as the reopening deadline for Connecticut during a press conference Friday.

He says hospitalizations are down roughly 40% with 70 people being discharged from the hospital since Thursday, and that the trend is one of the key factors in reopening Connecticut's economy next week.

Lamont says Connecticut has paid out $1.3 billion in unemployment claims to roughly 500,000 people who filed and that the economy in the state has been hit very hard.

"We've been hit hard. It's going to be a slow way back," Lamont says.

He says protocols for reopening will be sent to businesses who qualify for the plan beginning next week.

Gov. Lamont says business owners will need to take protocols seriously because customers will be watching and that their business will depend on their ability to follow safety standards.

He says the state has given 50,000 masks to private transportation companies across the state, and also distributed 50,000 thermal thermometers to houses of worship and small businesses across the state.

Connecticut is the first state in the nation where CVS opened 12 COVID-19 testing sites this week with a goal of 25 locations in the state by the end of May and thousands more nationwide.

Outdoor dining at restaurants will begin next week, and bathrooms inside of the restaurants will remain open for public or customer use.

The governor says summer camps could open as early as June 21.