Innkeepers are a busy bunch. To save you time, VLA attends Governor Scott’s Covid-19 Press Conferences and takes notes for you. Below is the summary from 4.30.21
Governor Scott announced that May 1st marks the first day of transitioning to phase 2 of the Vermont Forward Plan. This means that: (1) the second and final business sectors will move to universal guidance; and (2) revisions to safe gathering standards will take effect. Universal guidance, as Dr. Levine described, means that wearing masks, maintaining a safe social distance in crowded places, and practicing good hygiene, such as handwashing, are important safety precautions that still apply under the Governor’s Emergency Order. Vermont has already met its May 1 vaccination goal. As more Vermonters continue to become vaccinated, the Administration will begin taking steps toward transitioning to phase 3 of the Vermont Forward Plan. The Administration still anticipates returning to “normal” by July 4.
NOTES:
- Green Up Day tomorrow—cleaning trash and litter from the streets.
- CDC updated outdoor masking guidance earlier this week. Governor Scott will sign an amendment updating Vermont’s policy to align with the CDC’s update today,
- Effective May 1, masks will no longer be required outdoors if physical distancing can be maintained. This applied to vaccinated and unvaccinated Vermonters.
- Municipalities and businesses do have the ability to have stricter policies if they so choose.
- Additional steps will take place when more Vermonters are vaccinated.
- Earlier this week, Vermont hit its May 1 vaccination target with 60% of Vermonters over the age of 16 vaccinated. Tomorrow we move to step 2 of the Vermont Forward Plan, which brings most sectors under universal guidance.
- This plan was developed in direct consultation with the Department of Health, including Dr. Levine and Dr. Kelso, the Agency of Human Services, the operations team, and many others.
- Vaccines work. Hospitalization, death rate, and 7-day case count average is the lowest its been since November. Over 65 population is 90% vaccinated.
- If we keep up vaccinations, we’ll transition into step 3 where mandates become recommendations in July.
- Those who predicted that an accelerated vaccination plan would increase cases were wrong. That’s not to say we won’t have highs and lows in terms of cases, but the vaccination rollout is working and it is a science-based approach.
- Participants in school surveillance testing has dropped off, probably because of the school vaccination program. Tested 373 school staff this week; no cases identified. Positivity rate is 0%.
- Statewide positivity remains very low at 1%.
- This will be the last week of the school surveillance testing program that began in November.
- Working with the Health Department to organize a pilot program for surveillance testing of students in schools and summer programs. More information on that in the coming weeks.
- School districts have engaged in a planning activity for the next phase of pandemic response, called the “recovery phase.” Districts have provided survey information based on their needs in three key areas:
- (1) Needs relative to supporting the social and emotional needs of students, their mental health, and their overall wellbeing.
- Some districts identified specific profession development and training needs, such a need for more trauma informed instructional practices.
- Some expressed a need to improve student support systems.
- Others addressed a need for more mental health counseling services for students.
- Several said the number of student behavioral issues decreased as a result of teaching students in smaller groups or “pods.”
- (2) Academics.
- Students need additional direct instruction in certain content areas, such as reading and math.
- Need for better data on the status of student academic progress and achievement.
- (3) Student engagement and truancy.
- Several districts observed that these issues are greater among disadvantaged or historically marginalized students.
- This need will require focused effort at the state level to develop guidance and support in this areas, which will include a review of current truancy protocols.
- The next step in the planning process is to turn this general assessment information into planning priorities, and to turn those priorities into specific strategies for implementation.
- Our goal is for every district to have a recovery plan in place by June 1.
- We intend to use local-level priorities to develop state-level priorities. One state goal is a better integration of education of social service delivery systems well articulated in each region of the State.
- There are additional permissible uses federal funds available to address school facilities issues related to the pandemic, such as indoor air quality needs.
- Working to set up coordination of school facilities through the Agency to help districts with this need. Contracts need to be finalized this month; there are limited contractors available to design and install these types of systems.
- (1) Needs relative to supporting the social and emotional needs of students, their mental health, and their overall wellbeing.
- Update of move to Phase 2 of the Vermont Forward Plan:
- Starts tomorrow, May 1.
- Two significant components:
- (1) the second and final group of business sectors moves to universal guidance
- including manufacturing, construction, and distribution operations, restaurants, catering, food service and bars, religious facilities and places of worship, close-contact gyms and fitness facilities, organized sports, including adult and youth league practices, games, and tournaments, hair salons and barber shops, indoor arts, culture and entertainment establishments, and meetings of public bodies.
- (2) revisions are made to the standards regarding gatherings.
- Please remember that universal guidance transitions use away from specific capacity limits and nuanced guidance, safe distancing and crowd limitations are still important in most settings and still apply.
- (1) the second and final group of business sectors moves to universal guidance
- Healthcare, education, childcare, and summer camps continue to maintain specific and nuanced guidance beyond the universal guidance standards.
- Beginning tomorrow, gathering sizes will be updated to mirror the following:
- Indoor gatherings and events may include one unvaccinated person per 100 square ft, up to 150 people, plus any number of vaccinated persons.
- Outdoor gatherings and events may include up to 300 unvaccinated people, plus any number of vaccinated people.
- Physical distancing and masking remain important safety measures for indoor and outdoor gatherings.
- Universal guidance means staying home when sick, wearing a mask in the presence of others, continue 6ft social distancing, handwashing and good hygiene, thinking before you travel safely. Vermont’s continued vigilance remains the foundation of our efforts.
- In addition to universal guidance, the most important thing you can do is consider vaccination.
- Hosting a vaccine clinic for 16+ at the Grand Isle Fire Department on Saturday from 9:30-12pm. You can sign up online at healthvermont.gov/myvaccine or call (855) 722-7878 to make an appointment.
- Opened vaccine registration to out-of-state college students and part-time Vermont residents yesterday. Scheduled a vaccine clinic at Middlebury High School today; they are accepting walk-ins.
- There are open appointments in many areas this weekend as well as on college campuses on the following days:
- May 2 at UVM
- May 4 at Middlebury College and Bennington College
- May 6 at St. Michaels College
- May 7 at Northern Vermont University in Lyndon
- May 8 at Castleton University
- Turning to BIPOC Vermonters, we continue to make progress toward closing the vaccination gap—now 7% between non-Hispanic whites and BIPOC Vermonters. As of today, 55% of BIPOC Vermonters have been vaccinated or have made an appointment.
- In terms of overall progress, data from this morning provides that 335,500 people have been vaccinated against Covid-19. 101,900 have received their first dose; 233,600 have received their first and last dose.
- Great vaccination participation in the older age groups, but we’re somewhat lagging in the age 18–29 year age group. We urge this age group to get vaccinated. There are plenty of opportunities in the upcoming weeks.
- Keep your vaccination card in a safe place and take a photo of it with your smart phone. You may need it if you decide to travel.
- If you lose your vaccination card, you can request a record of your vaccination through the registry or through your healthcare provider. For a registry request, email Vaxrecordrequest@vermont.gov or call (888) 688-46667.
- You can choose to have it sent to your address via snail mail or by secure email. An email request will take a couple of hours; snail mail will take up to a week.
- Update on the General Assistance Housing Plan for Vermont households experiencing homelessness.
- During Covid-19, the Department of Children and Families temporary expanded eligibility in response to the public health emergency.
- As we emerge from the pandemic, this approach is no longer sustainable.
- Motels and Hotels are beginning to return to serving travelers and tourists. By July 1, we will lose access to approximately 250 rooms. We anticipate losing an additional 400 rooms by October. We strongly believe that motels and hotels are not a long-term solution for homelessness, but we do believe they work in the short-term.
- Worked with community partners to develop a plan to transition families from hotels and motels to more sustainable long-term housing. The Administration arrived at consensus with community partners and submitted the proposal to the legislature last week.
- Nearly $40 million needed to implement the plan is contingent upon legislative approval of Governor Scott’s proposal of $250 million dedicated to housing.
- Two step process:
- The first step is to use the proposed $40 million as follows:
- $4 million for motel-based housing support services;
- $4 million for rapid resolution and money for essentials to help households transition out of hotel/motel supports;
- Almost $30 million in motel costs;
- $650,000 for security costs.
- The second step is to propose a transition plan for what happens after state FY 2022. There won’t be any changes to current households in the motel/hotel program until this July 1.
- The first step is to use the proposed $40 million as follows:
- 124 covid-19 cases today after 10 straight days of daily counts below 100.
- Vermont’s 7-day case rate, as of April 29, is 77.7 cases per 100,000, compared to a national average of 110.8 cases per 100,000.
- Only one outbreak of a small number in a long-term care facility in Vermont.
- Positivity rate remains low at 1%.
- Hospitalizations have gone further down in the last couple of days, and are now at 17 today with 5 in the ICU.
- Knowing that we’re seeing less spread as vaccinations progress, we can move forward with the Vermont Forward Plan and allow Vermonters to get back to their lives carefully and safely. Following those same guiding principles, we’re ready to adjust our mask requirements for outdoors. Being outdoors is safer. Past scientific data, and more recently accumulating data continue to support this.
- Masks will only be required when you’re in a crowd or with multiple households where you can’t keep a 6 foot distance from others. This is regardless of whether you’re vaccinated or not.
- Outside on a run, hike, biking, outdoor playdate with kids, on sidelines watching sports, heading to the beach at a slow hour, you’re not required to wear a mask. But as before, have your mask with you in case any activities turn into a crowded situation.
- Rule of 3 to keep in mind:
- Outside, masked, distanced. You need two of these three elements to comply with health and safety guidance.
- If you’re outside and distanced, you do not need to wear a mask.
- If you’re outside and not distanced, you need a mask.
- If you’re not outside, you should wear a mask and keep your distance.
- Outside, masked, distanced. You need two of these three elements to comply with health and safety guidance.
Questions/comments:
- Thoughts on Senate budget bill?
- Governor Scott does not agree with the way the legislature is preparing to spend ARPA money. Establishing programs is not the best use of one-time funds.
- We’re receiving a billion dollars and the legislature is spending half of that this year in a piecemeal fashion. We agree on needs involving housing, broadband, climate change, and other issues, but not on how to spend ARPA money in the most responsible way.
- About the program for homelessness: How does the State intend to deal with ongoing security concerns for hotels/motels and the potential cost of damages?
- This is a good example of why the Senate’s proposed budget is moving in the wrong direction. We spent over $70 million on temporary housing using FEMA dollars. Our proposal is to use $250 million of ARPA dollars for housing, and half of that to provide permanent housing for the homeless. This will given them security for the future and save the State money in the future.
- We’re always concerned about security and have put money into year-round security. We will also work with hotels/motels to determine damages. This one-year transition plan has unanimous approval from community partners and from the legislature. It moves people to permanent housing before moving on to a second phase.
- Is there a plan in place to convince the 18–29 age group to get vaccinated.
- We prioritize education, outreach, ease of access, etc. to make sure awareness and convenience is not a reason to not get vaccinated. At the end of the day its about doing the right thing. People in the older age groups were 18–29 when they stepped up to fight WWII.
- We’re starting to look at drive-throughs and walk-ins in incentivize this age group.
- There is a need to combat misinformation, which has been part of the vaccination rollout strategy since the beginning.
- We need to meet people where they are in this age demographic.
- One thing you haven’t heard is the remainder of the healthcare system being involved. We still don’t have sufficient levels of vaccine allocations to distribute to every healthcare provider in the state as a major focus. That time will come, but that’s not part of this current strategy. The demographic we’re talking about isn’t likely to be at the Doctor’s office, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be a key part of this, especially with the 12–15 age group.
- We have a lot on the table, and we’re not standing still by any means.
- Would you encourage businesses to require proof of vaccination?
- Its up to the business and what they think is right for them. It would be in the best interest of businesses that want to host large gatherings to require vaccinations to comply with guidelines. If a business feels strongly about requiring masks, they can do that.
- What does temporary housing look like for people transitioning out of the hotel/motel program?
- Will start developing eligibility criteria July 1. We’ll still be using hotel/motels at a lower level. We’ll also have rapid resolution to identify safe housing and cash assistance for those who do not qualify for the General Assistance Program.
- The current shelter capacity is about 150 beds and will bring on another 250 beds within the next year.
- Although we’re bringing more criteria to the front door of the General Assistance Program, we are also expanding other programs to help those who don’t qualify. There is no solution to this problem other than permanent housing.
- Once mostly everyone is vaccinated, is there concern about organizations that refuse to be vaccinated for religious or other reasons spreading the virus again?
- Those individuals are part of focused “pockets” or groups. Public health is not going to forget about this pandemic and lose track of it. This is going to be part of the environment for the foreseeable future; we have no identified particularly resistant groups in Vermont that we need to be focused on for the safety of whole communities.
- How do you reconcile the 7% gap in vaccinations between non-Hispanic white Vermonters and BIPOC Vermonters?
- More information to come.
- Vaccinations for males are lagging behind females. Do you know why and what to do about that?
- Planning to launch a peer-on-peer campaign next week to talk about why that is the case.
- Women tend to adhere more and have more contact with the healthcare system. But this doesn’t say what is preventing males from getting vaccinated.
- This is skewed toward the younger age groups; older age groups don’t show the same discrepancies.
- Where is vaccine misinformation coming from?
- The Internet. Every aspect of the pandemic is well represented on the Internet; individuals can choose to focus on what they read rather than reliable sources.
- What should people who are working part-time jobs but expect to return to full-time jobs do at this point?
- A person with a part-time job is not required to find a full-time job. They can look for additional part-time work until the full-time employment resumes.
- Are walk-in clinics using all doses, and if not, what happens to the remaining doses?
- Clinics are generally administering J&J vaccines, which don’t have any left overs.
- Demand still significantly outweighs supply in Vermont.
- Do Vermonters in the 16–17 age group need parental consent to get vaccinated? How might this impact that age group from accessing vaccines?
- Yes. We’ve had good uptake in this age group. Parental permission has not presented an issue, but it is an important enough decision to require parental guidance.
- Why are there different Covid-19 safety rules for farmers markets?
- All retail operations will be subject to universal guidance starting May 1.
- Is the State Government requiring Vermont State employees to turn over their medical information to show proof of vaccination?
- No—there is no requirement to get vaccinated under the emergency Order.
- Private businesses have the authority to require employees and customers to get vaccinated if they choose.
- Department of Labor is looking farther into the federal rules regarding vaccination requirements for employment.
- Do you support expanding healthcare for pregnant women and children who are undocumented?
- Yes. We proposed something similar to the Senate. It’s a generally small amount of money and helpful to our undocumented refugee population.
- People in the 18–29 age group may be waiting for the J&J to avoid having to receive two doses of a vaccine to become fully vaccinated. That may be contributing to the difference between that age group’s uptake and the 16–17 age group’s uptake.
- Employers are concerned about the UI fund being used to pay workers who are medically unable to return to work. Can you explain the rationale for keeping people on the IU system if they are unable to return to work?
- It’s the right thing to do. Because people were displaced from work for Covid-related reasons and no fault of their own, they are eligible for covid relief.
- Restriction on open hours for bars and restaurants remains. More vaccinations will mean that time constraints are lifted between now and July 4.