The push for recovery
A family bikes up River Road in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
After a beautiful Memorial Day Weekend, the nation rolled into another busy week as states continued to work on reopening their economies.
The announcement of the day was the New York Stock Exchange reopening, a development highlighted by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Also announced: Long Island is expected to reopen on Wednesday. That falls in line with recent positive trends in New York, including the fact that, on Tuesday, the state saw its number of new COVID-19 cases fall to their lowest level since the pandemic took hold there in March.
Promising trends continued in the Green Mountains, where numbers kept heading downward. With campgrounds and marinas open in Vermont, much of the state’s outdoor recreation sector saw plenty of activity over the holiday weekend. A number of local people opted to have fun closer to home, while there were some visitors as well. In various locations, area restaurants could be seen offering outdoor seating, which the state allowed as of Friday. Though it’s not a moneymaker, it added some vitality to downtowns at a time when each community could use it.
Speaking of local businesses, Gov. Phil Scott said the state is moving ahead with a new marketing campaign to encourage Vermonters to buy locally. There has never been a more important time to support local businesses.
“We can help each other out by just looking at the products we buy, and buy from each other,” the governor told Vermont Public Radio today.
The state’s overall plan for reopening is moving forward. The next step: As of Friday, hair salons and barbershops can reopen under state-imposed limits and safety measures. Hopefully, those businesses and also restaurants — having been some of the first ordered to shut down in March — will be able to sustain operations over the long-term. Right now, the future of our downtowns is unclear, but we can all make an effort to buy local as much as possible. Our local businesses need us, and now is the time to unite, support them and rebuild that economic vitality our communities need.
— Gareth Henderson
