Hope for the summer
People enjoy the Ottauquechee River in Woodstock, Vermont, on a very humid Wednesday evening. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
Further steps in reopening are on tap for Vermont later this week, including loosening the restriction on gatherings.
Citing favorable COVID-19 data in the state, Gov. Phil Scott on Wednesday said he will likely increase the gathering limit from 10 to 25 people by the weekend. He also aims to announce a time frame on Friday for reopening more close-contact businesses like cleaning services and fitness centers.
As the governor noted, it's been a little over two weeks since the state took its first big step in reopening, when it allowed manufacturing and construction to fully get back to work.
"It appears we continue to move in the right direction ... and as a result, we'll be able to put more Vermonters back to work, open up social activities and restart most parts of our economy in some capacity," Scott said.
He added that Vermonters got us to this point, by adhering to important public-safety guidelines.
"You put your family and neighbors' health first," Scott said.
Going forward, the governor's team will identify the level of progress they need to see in neighboring states to completely reopen Vermont, which would involve easing or lifting the 14-day quarantine requirement for those crossing into the state. With multiple Vermont sectors at some level of operation now, the data from other New England states — which have more COVID-19 cases now — is more important than ever.
It is also important for Vermont's economy. The farther we go into summer, the more the pressure rises on the state government to ease restrictions and fully reactivate the tourism economy. Many sectors depending on visitor traffic have been in rough shape now for weeks, and hopefully the $400 million state relief package — funded by federal relief dollars — will see passage in Montpelier soon.
In the meanwhile, the continued downward trend in Vermont's numbers gives added hope that more reopenings are on the way. The measured approach appears to be working, and together, as a community, we can build more momentum with each step we take as a state. Progress is being made, and we head toward summer with hopeful indications that more progress is right around the corner.
— Gareth Henderson
