Vt. eases rules on lodging, restaurants

Traffic moves through downtown Woodstock, Vermont, during the summer. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

In a bid to help strengthen the hospitality sector before foliage season, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott on Friday loosened several state restrictions on businesses amid the pandemic. 

Scott announced that lodging establishments — which had been limited to 50 percent capacity — can now rent all their rooms, as long as guests follow all required health precautions. Those include mask-wearing, physical distancing and travel and quarantine requirements. Additionally, the governor said restaurants can now open up bar seating, with six-foot physical distancing and a lexan barrier between customers and staff working behind the bar. Both of these rule changes were effective immediately. 

Scott acknowledged many of these businesses are struggling to survive.

"I know this is not enough to soften the economic blow to our hospitality sector, and we'll continue to work with the Legislature to support these businesses that were hit the hardest, in order to help save the jobs and revenue they create," he said.    

Along those lines, Scott announced the state has a new program to help businesses. There are now five organizations across Vermont offering free expert advice on how businesses can navigate the financial pressures of the pandemic. Any businesses or nonprofits wanting to learn more are welcome to visit accd.vermont.gov for details.

To date, Vermont has been able to open most sectors to some extent, Scott said, thanks to Vermonters' adherence to public health measures. The state still has the lowest COVID-19 test positivity rate in the nation. However, to continue those good results, everyone must remain vigilant and keep following the same health practices to make further progress, Scott said. 

"If we all do our part — both Vermonters and visitors — we can continue to safely open up the economy, put people back to work in order to provide for their families, and prevent our local small businesses from closing their doors for good," he said.

Vermont continues to maintain an online map which shows which travelers can visit Vermont without a quarantine, per state requirements. Travelers from a county with less than 400 active COVID-19 cases per million residents are allowed to visit the Green Mountains with no quarantine.   

On Friday, state officials announced the total number of travelers able to visit quarantine-free increased by 2 million over the past week, to a total of 7.4 million. That is due to recent declines in cases in some of the most populous counties in New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

— Gareth Henderson

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