Onward, with grace
As daunting challenges grip the country, Vermont has aimed to protect its progress during the pandemic and maintain an emphasis on working together.
On Friday, as he announced a statewide mask mandate effective Aug. 1, Gov. Phil Scott said he wanted to protect Vermont’s gains as cases surge elsewhere in the country. Those gains included having the lowest number of COVID-19 cases in the nation as of this week. That happened because most people in the Green Mountains followed the guidance from health experts, the governor noted.
“Our numbers show Vermonters have stepped up to keep each other safe, which has become known as the Vermont way,” he said.
Though nearby New England states have mainly kept improving in the past month, recent increases in COVID-19 metrics in the wider Northeast region have concerned state officials and other experts. David Rubin, director of the PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told Vermont Public Radio on Saturday that case growth in recent weeks has occurred in Delaware and New Jersey. He noted the recent small outbreak in Cape Cod as well. This week, Massachusetts issued a new travel order, effective Aug. 1. One of its requirements is that incoming travelers must quarantine for 14 days, or produce a negative COVID-19 test result that has been administered up to 72 hours prior to their arrival in Massachusetts. Failure to comply carries a possible fine of $500 per day. Vermont is one of the lower-risk states exempt from the order.
As more summer traffic heads north, Vermont has continued to watch incoming numbers. This week, officials said Vermont saw a total of 7.1 million visitors as of Friday morning — an increase of 200,000 over the prior week. The state’s color-coded map, with the color green indicating low-risk counties from which travelers can visit Vermont quarantine-free, has seen a reduction recently in the number of green counties. That’s “reflective of the case growth across the country,” according to Michael Pieciak, commissioner of financial regulation, who has headed up Vermont’s data modeling efforts.
Naturally, Vermont officials have spent a great deal of time looking at data. That vigilance led to Friday’s announcement, which the governor said was meant to be proactive. But it’s worth noting the governor placed just as much emphasis on our treatment of each other as we continue onward as a state under the mask mandate. Scott urged “kindness” and “meeting people where they are.”
"Let's do things the Vermont way by being role models and leading by example," he said.
That’s an important place to start, because we all want our state to stay healthy and succeed, with Vermonters being supportive of one another and those who visit us. The current adversity, of course, is unprecedented, constant and merits great caution every day. But as we continue on with our lives, we have the option to do so with a unified grace and compassion, while following all official guidance and regulation. We can do all those things, while maintaining the good, inclusive approach that makes Vermont special — and so very needed — in this country.
— Gareth Henderson
