Vermont postpones start of winter sports
A view of the Ottauquechee River from River Road in Woodstock, Vermont (Gareth Henderson Photo)
The state of Vermont is putting all school sports on hold until further notice, as the state continues to address a recent surge in COVID-19 cases.
Gov. Phil Scott announced the measure on Tuesday, just a week before winter sports were set to start for the season. Earlier this month, the state suspended all youth and adult recreational sports that weren’t publicly sanctioned. The governor said the state would review the new school sports restriction each week.
A statewide ban on multi-household gatherings remains in effect, but Scott noted schools have expressed concerns about families which may not follow that rule over the holidays. In response, the state is directing schools to ask students or parents if they were part of multi-family gatherings, as part of the required daily health check before entering school buildings. If the answer is “yes”, the individual will have to quarantine for 14 days, or for seven days with a negative COVID-19 test. Officials have also recommended that businesses enact the same practice, in case some employees don’t follow the guidance over the Thanksgiving holiday.
“The more we adhere to this (gathering) policy, the faster we’ll be in lowering the number of cases and the sooner we’ll be able to ease up on these restrictions,” Scott said at the Tuesday press briefing. “Again, this is an example of why it’s so important to be vigilant and avoid small gatherings. And it’s my hope that adults will realize the need to sacrifice in order to give our kids this important time in their life, and most importantly, help keep them in school as much as possible.”
The governor also made a point to recognize the “many, many more” Vermonters who are adhering to the restrictions.
“While we’ve seen record growth in recent weeks, we still lead the nation in the lowest number of cases and deaths, and that’s because of all your efforts,” Scott said.
State officials said data from recent days shows Vermont’s case growth beginning to slow, but, this being a holiday week, they urged people to keep following public health guidance, including the gathering restriction, mask-wearing, social distancing and avoiding non-essential travel.
“The fact is, the sacrifice we make today and over the next few weeks will make sure we get to the end (of the pandemic) faster, stronger and in a better position than any other state,” Scott said.
Last week, the state clarified its restriction on gatherings, to note that outdoor fitness activities, such as walking, hiking or biking, involving no more than two people from different households are allowed.
— Gareth Henderson
