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 4/12/22.
With the legislative session end closing in, and the possible vote by Appropriations this week, the Governor took the opportunity to call out his priorities in his budget proposal––tax relief, investments in housing, broadband, water & sewer infrastructure, economic development, and more––and said that he will not hesitate to issue a veto if he felt it necessary. There is much common ground, and he hopes to forge a common path to pass the budget and “set Vermont on a transformational path to a better and stronger future” by getting it right and “take full advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
NOTES:
- Dr. Levine:
- BA-2 variant – slight uptick in cases and hospitalization but nothing like earlier spike from original Omicron; continue to closely monitor
- up to 50% of Americans may have had Omicron or variant
- be update on vaccines; test if you have symptoms or are a close contact of positive case and not up to date on vaccine; stay home if sick; know treatment options if you are sick; wear high-quality mask based on personal risk
- report your home test results
- no new mitigation strategies at this time
- get your first booster
- second booster – immunocompromised 12+, and 65+, and 50- 65 with underlying health conditions; decision on second booster based on one’s personal risk & comfort level
- recently released data shows 33% increase in fatal overdoses in 2021
- while pandemic is playing a role, a major factor is increased use of fentanyl
- encourage substance users (and their loved ones) to have Narcan and know how to use it and call 911 for full assessment as other unknown drugs may be present
- help is available and recovery is possible
- Questions:
- * * * * (inaudible –transmission issue)
- On mask mandate in Philadelphia where metrics looks very similar to VT
- Scott: not been following this; we are in good shape here in VT
- Levine: they saw a large boost in one week; a more densely populated urban setting; had seen disproportionate inequities in the past and trying to prevent surge in cases; I respect their reasoning
- Vaccination rate in Philadelphia?
- Levine: in general, a respectable rate in PA, but not as good as VT; don’t know about Philadelphia
- NY Times lists VT as having one of highest rates of spread of virus––at what point do we move from keeping an eye on it to taking action?
- Levine: we will continue to look very closely at CDC community levels; we are looking at slope of Vermont curve; focusing as much as possible on serious outcomes
- Any discussion changing guidelines for schools due to concerns about clusters?
- Levine: people should take action to prevent spreading; no plans to change strategy from looking at the community schools are in as opposed to schools themselves
- French: looking at instances on a community-by-community basis; optimistic schools can manage next few weeks well
- Levine: few know what will happen with BA-2 in a definitive way.
- With expiring Federal school nutrition assistance, what is state’s role to both schools and local nutrition programs?
- Scott: will continue support foodbank, shelter, and be sure people have basic needs; inflation is affecting needs and that’s why it is important to get budget right to reach broadest cross section of Vermonters
- Will you direct more public dollars toward nutrition services?
- Scott: will look to Dept. of Human Services and continue conversations with legislators; need to look at this holistically
- What message do you have to everyday Vermonters about inflation?
- Scott: it’s not just us but across the world, a global problem––supply and demand, Putin’s war in Ukraine, and demographics in our state; important to make best use of one-time funds in a strategic manner to be better in the future; hopefully price of fuel will come down; we cannot control inflation but can control what we do
- Comment on NY Lt. Governor being arrested?
- Scott: I don’t know the circumstance and thankful not have such issues here in VT
- Any decision yet on your running again for governor?
- Scott: no, not by me
- Can you explain your remark about there needing to be an adult in the room?
- Scott: with so much money coming into the state it is a bit of a “feeding frenzy” and there needs to be someone looking at this with wider perspective; statewide position not elected by smaller contingency, to make sure we are doing the right things
- Is it a civil relationship with legislator?
- Scott: very civil, never personal; respectful civil disagreements––that is what democracy is all about
- Overdoes crisis –what do make of H.728 safe injection sites?
- Scott: we see the need and our package has prevention dollars and would like to see some of our provisions included; safe sites is not something I am interested in; we were on the right path before the pandemic, but that and especially increase use of fentanyl has really changed the game of substance abuse
- Levine: I think the bill refers to workgroup study, not the same as erecting such a facility; good to collect data before deciding if is right for us; need to see more evidence
- Hub & Spoke continued through pandemic; more people are connected then pre-pandemic; changes forthcoming to more adequately and expensively treat mental health issues that so often co-occur with substance abuse issues
- Main differences of your substance use prevention money in your budget vs. the House?
- Scott: focuses on initiative we have been working on for a number of years, prevention, treatment, recovery, and enforcement with prevention being key and I’m not sure the House bill does that
- Levine: this is legislation in process and there is significant overlap; Governor’s proposal has money for recovery and recovery housing needed for continued success; legislator focuses a bit more on treatment and we feel are already in play, and prevention coalitions and activities for our youth––need to be sure that access is equitable across the state
- Lawn signs advertising job opportunities at Dept. of Corrections not being taken down by VTrans if positioned in right of way of state highway––is there any directive coming down to ignore them?
- Scott: no, they should be treated the same as any other signage