Inn tightening protocols after outcry over wedding
The Woodstock Inn is tightening its health protocols following public outcry after a group of wedding guests was seen with no masks.
Traffic heads through Woodstock Village during the summer. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
The Woodstock Inn is tightening its health protocols following public outcry about an outdoor wedding event at the Woodstock, Vermont, establishment on Saturday where multiple people were seen without face masks. Local and state authorities have mandates in place requiring face coverings due to the pandemic.
Over the weekend, a photo showing several dozen people at the wedding gathering sitting close to each other, unmasked, quickly made the rounds on Facebook and grabbed headlines, drawing heavy criticism from residents and other businesses. On Sunday, Woodstock town and village officials announced they were speaking with inn management about the matter on Monday. Concerned residents also alerted state officials, and the matter came up at Tuesday's regular press conference with Gov. Phil Scott, who had directed his team to speak with inn officials after the issue was reported.
At the briefing, in response to a media question, Public Safety Commissioner Michael Schirling said he and Commerce Secretary Lindsay Kurrle spoke with inn management on Monday and shared their concerns. Schirling confirmed there were no known COVID-19 cases stemming from the wedding, and he said inn officials were taking steps to prevent a situation like Saturday from happening in the future. Each guest staying at the inn completed the health attestation form required by the state, he added.
"We're confident that together with the plans they have in place, both retroactively and with what they've learned from this particular event, that things are going to go as well as possible," Schirling said.
On Tuesday, local leaders were also confident the inn was taking the right steps to improve their protocols. Jeff Kahn, chair of the Village Trustees, said having guests outside unmasked was "a big mistake" — a point driven home in Monday's meeting with inn leadership.
"They said it will not happen again," Kahn said in a Tuesday interview, noting the inn was at work on changes. "We feel good and confident they responded in the correct manner."
He urged residents to keep wearing their masks, as the local ordinance requires.
"Let's all remain vigilant about following protocols that keep us all safe."
In an interview Tuesday afternoon, Courtney Lowe, the inn's vice president of marketing and business development, told Omni Reporter the inn's new protocols should be finalized over the next couple of days. While there had already been public health protocols in place at the inn, Lowe said the issue that arose from Saturday’s gathering stemmed from a misunderstanding on the inn's part about the local facial covering ordinance. But he said the inn was committed to everyone's safety.
"We care deeply about the community; we never want to do the wrong thing," Lowe said. "We want to make sure we're doing the best we possibly can in this environment."
The misunderstanding came from the fact that the inn wasn't aware that any person outside on inn grounds was required by the village ordinance to wear a mask while not consuming food or drink, according to Lowe.
"We have an understanding now, that if (guests) are not drinking or eating outside, they must have a mask," he confirmed.
Lowe said the whole 95-person wedding party had temperature checks upon arrival, and the set up included three aisles that were six feet apart — details not visible from the circulated photo. He said there was also signage asking people to wear masks, and people were seated in pods of "trusted friends and family." The inn had been regularly in touch with the Agency of Commerce and Community Development to ensure compliance with state rules, including the required six-foot social distancing.
Lowe also said the inn had been greatly focused on the state guidance, but, after speaking with state and local authorities, the inn is clear that the strict local masking requirement trumps the rules in the state mandate.
Saturday marked the first time the inn had a large wedding in 2020; before last weekend, all such gatherings had been under 30 people this year. Originally, there were about 30 more guests slated to arrive for the Saturday wedding, but they did not travel, due to Vermont's quarantine requirements. Lowe said most of the inn’s weddings originally planned for this year were already moved to 2021.
Currently, the state has a 150-person limit on outdoor events.
— Gareth Henderson
Editor’s Note: This story has been corrected to reflect that only those wedding guests staying at the inn completed the state-required health attestation form, which is in compliance with current regulations for lodging businesses. Also, a paragraph was adjusted to make clear that the inn tried to adhere to the state’s required six feet of social distancing.