Saving summer tourism

The summer tourism season was a key topic at Vermont Gov. Phil Scott’s press briefing on Wednesday, as the state faces mounting pressure to reopen related sectors as they struggle to survive.

Restaurants were front and center, and Scott aims to unveil a plan on Friday to restart indoor dining as pandemic recovery efforts continue. Key COVID-19 metrics continue to show good signs for Vermont, almost two weeks after the governor gave the green light to outdoor dining. He cautioned that the indoor-dining plan would be gradual, starting with restrictions like social distancing. 

At the same time, the state is working on a plan to allow out-of-state visitors without a quarantine - something businesses badly need to make money in these warmer months. Officials are also looking at ways to increase capacity at lodging establishments and campgrounds, Scott said, adding he knows many businesses are barely making it by. Hotels, motels, inns and bed-and-breakfasts remain under a 25-percent occupancy limit and tight restrictions.

“We’re doing all we can to open up as much as we can, as safely as we can,” Scott said. 

A $400 million relief package announced in mid-May by the governor, and funded by federal CARES Act money, remains under discussion by the Legislature, who also face pressure to act quickly.

With each passing week, that pressure builds throughout the state and the New England region as businesses and nonprofits look to survive, with limited options to do so. The situation is different in each state, but in this region most pandemic-related metrics are pointed in the right direction, and hopefully Friday arrives with more good news. That said, the time of need is still with us, and anything we can do to help our neighbors, businesses and communities is a step we need to take. 

— Gareth Henderson