Important week ahead

Vermonters are about to head into a big week, with Monday being the first day in-person retail businesses can open their doors to the public again.

Though that reopening comes with restrictions, it is a day many businesses have eagerly anticipated after two months of shutdown. Lost income from having no foot traffic has put a deep strain on many budgets, and store owners are eager to get some traffic moving, especially with Memorial Day weekend coming up. Even with the 25-percent occupancy limit, any additional business will help these shops make progress.

There is also the social side of the equation. Here in Vermont, local shop owners are also our friends and neighbors. It will be joyful and reassuring for customers to visit with the store owners they haven’t seen in person for weeks, even while social distancing.

For the most part, it appears Vermonters have been following the precautions the state recommends. If that weren’t true, Vermont wouldn’t have the lowest coronavirus growth rate in the U.S. So, let’s pave the way for more reopenings and continue to follow those precautions. Different sectors are gradually getting back to work, and we will stay on that path by being united for the greater good.

— Gareth Henderson

Paths converge

Different paths brought us all to where we are now, quite literally. For me, the shutdown has meant staying right here at home in Vermont, where I had already been in the run-up to the state’s stay-at-home order in late March. Many of us saw it coming. 

But for others, it meant staying here indefinitely, postponing that return to home in New York, Boston or points beyond — after extending their weekend stay in Vermont became the safer option. Some ventured north shortly after the state order came down; others are heading this way for the summer, soon. 

It’s important to note: Vermont has seen visitors from out of state for decades. Some have become full-timers, while others have kept a second home here for many years and have also contributed greatly to the community. Obviously what’s new in this situation is, we have a pandemic. That has produced a fear of those coming in from the cities, often the hardest-hit areas. Some feel this more strongly than others, but everyone has seen this expressed. 

Now, the root of that feeling is understandable, given the news reports from other parts of the country. But that is not what matters most. What really counts, is what we do after we feel that first tinge of fear. In that situation, I would appeal to our natural inclination as a community, to treat everyone with love and humanity no matter where they’re from. That kindness has spread through every city and town, through neighbors helping neighbors, and all can be embraced by it. 

To be clear: Everyone should follow the rules the state has laid out. Anyone crossing into Vermont must self-quarantine for 14 days, regardless of their license plate color. That reinforces the idea that to make progress as a community, we all must stick together. It is up to all of us to meet this challenge, as one.

As we move forward, the state keeps reporting progress against COVID-19, and so far this spring, the restrictions have been loosened a little more every week. The most important driver of continued progress, is how we respond as a community — specifically, how we help one another. We can extend that feeling of inclusion to all of our neighbors. We’re here in the same community, and we should take the path ahead together.

— Gareth Henderson