Restrictions on lodging may loosen soon

Sun and shadow blend in this mountain view from Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

The Vermont lodging industry might see a loosening of restrictions before foliage season, if the state's COVID-19 metrics stay low. Hotels, inns and other lodging businesses have been among the hardest hit during the pandemic, being required to keep capacity at no more than 50 percent of total rooms since early summer.  

At a Friday press conference, Gov. Phil Scott said the state may "open that spigot a bit more" on the economy, if the data remains favorable. Vermont still has the nation's lowest positivity rate for COVID-19. In the past week, the state conducted 15,000 tests of college and university students who returned and just five were positive, bringing the total number of students who have tested positive to 38. That's well below any number that would spark concern about community spread, officials noted. 

With those kinds of numbers, the governor said he could see loosening restrictions on the hospitality sector in a couple of weeks or sooner. 

"If things continue the way they are, we'll be announcing some opening of the spigot possibly next week ... but again, it's all reliant on the data and the science, making sure it's safe to do so," Scott said.

Earlier in the summer, the state slowed down its reopening activity due to the multiple spikes in cases around the country. Regionally, Friday bought the good news that overall COVID-19 cases dropped slightly last week in the Northeast. Also, there were some improvements reported on the regional travel map showing who can travel to Vermont without having to quarantine, with more areas in the Northeast fitting that definition, including Cape Cod and parts of New York. From the states on that map, total of 5.5 million individuals can now come to Vermont without a quarantine, up from 5.2 million last week. Those numbers may also help turn the state toward further reopening activity for lodging and hospitality. 

Also on Friday, Scott extended the state of emergency to Oct. 15, which allows the state to quickly adjust or add to the statewide measures put in place. The governor said he knows many will be disappointed at the idea of having to continue with economic restrictions, but he said these decisions are based on data and science to keep Vermonters safe. 

"Rest assured we'll get through this. I know we will, and with Vermont ingenuity and perseverance, we'll be stronger as a result."  

— Gareth Henderson