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Governor urges use of face masks, mandate could come this week

Submitted by tim on

State reports COVID-19 cases up 21 with one more death to 28

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Governor Phil Scott issued his COVID-19 executive order exactly four weeks ago and today held a press briefing in which he suggested that more measures could be coming in order to protect Vermonters. He said he will likely amend the order later this week with regards to the wearing of face masks.

The governor did not say to what extent face masks would be mandated. It might depend, he said, on the progress the state is making holding off the novel coronavirus disease.

Health Commissioner Dr Mark Levine said that over the weekend he visited a “big box” store and a supermarket. And while many customers and workers were wearing face masks, not everyone was doing so.

Dr Levine said he worked in a grocery store in his youth and can appreciate what the cashiers and other staff are going through under normal conditions.

But as he and other state officials have said repeatedly over the last month, these are not normal times.

“I strongly urge the use of facial coverings,” Dr Levine said.

The governor has often during this process given a heads up to the public, as he readily admits, when a new addendum to the executive order is about to be enacted.

His and Levine’s comments today suggest that a face mask requirement is coming for at least some workers at businesses that are still open and in particular for food store staff.

The strict mitigation efforts have saved hundreds if not thousands of lives, Scott said, which is why last week he extended the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order until May 15.

“I know it’s been extremely difficult,” he said.

Dr Levine said all the hard work is paying off.

"The number of new cases per day is getting smaller," he said. "We seem to be approaching, if you will, a plateau. And we'll see if that's a sustainable phenomenon or just a trend over several days."

(See list of gubernatorial actions below.)

The governor’s first restriction came on March 13 with the closing of nursing homes and hospitals to visitors and limiting gatherings to 250 people.

  • In today’s press briefing, he that the state and not the federal government will determine what to relax restrictions and “open up the economy.” Scott maintains that they “will open the spigot a quarter turn at a time.” Meaning it will come gradually with, he has suggested, outdoor and low density businesses going first. He added that even elective surgeries at hospitals could be part of that mix if the low COVID-19 hospitalization numbers hold. The state will get back to business when the medical data and science support it. “To pick an arbitrary date would be irresponsible.”
  • Scott and Dr Levine reaffirmed that the data suggest the mitigation actions are working and that the sacrifices Vermonters have endured are working to save lives. However, because in part of the outbreak early on at the Burlington Health & Rehabilitation Center, Vermont ranks third national with the highest per capita deaths from COVID-19.
  • There are now 28 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Vermont, which includes one more from Sunday’s report. There are 748 cases from 10,365 total tests. This is an increase of 21 cases from the Sunday report. There are 33 currently hospitalized and another 33 in hospital under investigation.
  • They urged the wearing of masks with new regulations coming perhaps as early as later this week.
  • To clear up confusion, Scott said that farmers markets would remain closed. Again, he said new guidelines could be coming soon to loosen some work restrictions and farmers markets could be among those re-starting early. However, he also indicated that the markets would not operate in the same way as they used to.
  • Serological (blood) testing of coronavirus antibodies, which is being studied at Copley Hospital in Morrisville and many other places eventually will become an important part of the fight against COVID-19. But he said the testing generally is still having too many false negatives and false positives so far to be reliable and that the nasal swab testing and mitigation efforts with social distancing are still the most useful tools.
  • Human Services Secretary Mike Smith said that a primary care site has been set up at the Holiday Inn in South Burlington for those who have tested positive for COVID-19, do not need hospital care but cannot go home for any number of reasons. The Holiday Inn can take up to 150 patients. This could include homeless individuals. People who had been staying at the Holiday Inn will be transferred elsewhere.
  • Smith also revealed that along with 28 positive COVID-19 patients transferred from the Northwest State Correctional Facility in Swanton to the facility in St Johnsbury, there are still 25 inmates who will remain there. They will be physically segregated. They remain there, instead of being transferred to the nearby work camp like the other inmates, because they provide essential work, such as cooks. He admitted that the department could have communicated better with the people of St Johnsbury, but they had to act quickly and he vowed they will do better. He also reiterated that violent criminals will not be released to alleviate prison populations or to mitigate the spread of the virus in the prison population.
  • No “uniforms” for people who test positive. In response to some people suggesting on social media and elsewhere that people in the general population wear some type of uniform indicating that they have tested positive, the administration officials were adamant that that will not happen.
  • The Vermont Department of Health will test all staff and patients at the Vermont Veterans’ Home in Bennington. On March 15 one staffer has tested positive and has since recovered. There have been no cases at the facility since. With more testing available, the state is starting to test all staff and patients at various institutions around the state. The state had received a letter from Bennington Senators Dick Sears and Brian Campion requesting more testing.
  • There have been two recent deaths at Decker Towers, a senior living apartment building in Burlington. One of the deceased test negative for the novel coronavirus and they are waiting for test results from the other individual. But as part of their expanded testing protocol, they are testing everyone at the facility. So far, of the 139 test completed there are no positive cases, with more results pending.
  • Dr Levine said that people should not fear going to the hospital if they need non-coronavirus care. They should call their health care provider first. There have been reports that fewer people are seeking health care. Dr Levine said if people need care then they should get it. Hospital counts are down as elective surgeries have been suspended, but all other care is available. More than 400 COVID-19 beds are available but fewer than 100 of those are being used (hospital surge capacity is over 700). One nurse at UVMMC said they've "never been less busy."
  • On a more positive note during the pandemic, Dr Levine said that more people are calling the 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) stop smoking hotline. He previously urged people stuck at home to use the time constructively and try and quit smoking and vaping. From March 2019 to March2020 there has been a 41 percent increase to the hotline and a 167 percent increase to the Website 802Quits.org.
  • The border traffic studies have indicated that most of the cross-border traffic has been coming from cars with New Hampshire tags, with fewer than expected coming from Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York.
  • While hotels, inns and hospitality can now start booking visitors for visits after June 15, Scott said he could reverse that policy if circumstances change for the worse. He said he can make no guarantees for people who have booked weddings and other events. Telling people they can't come to Vermont, "is counterintuitive to everything I've stood for."
  • Education Commissioner Dan French said that while the distance learning in the public education system has been uneven and is presenting challenges, educators should not be using Zoom as a video tool. He said there are other more secure video networks.
  • Unemployment Insurance claims appear to have leveled off, according to Acting Labor Commissioner Michael Harrington. However, Monday is typically a high volume day. Also, the system was down on Sunday. More staff are helping Labor plow through the backlog of cases with issues and errors.
  • The primary option for claimants to file their weekly claim is through the automated phone service, which can be accessed by dialing (800) 983-2300. No restrictions have been placed for claimants looking to file a weekly claim over the phone system, which is open 24-hours on Sunday, and from 5:00am – 4:30pm on Monday through Friday.
  • For those looking to file their weekly claim online through the Claimant Portal, found at https://uipublic01.labor.vermont.gov/Claimantportal/portal/login.aspx, claimants are encouraged to observe the following structure: Sunday (Everyone), Monday (A-E), Tuesday (F-L), Wednesday (M-R), Thursday (S-Z), and Friday (Everyone)
  • CALLS TO CLAIMANT ASSISTANCE LINE: Those looking to contact Claimant Assistance regarding questions about their claim or if they are experiencing problems filing their weekly claim may call (877) 214-3332 based on the following structure: Monday (A-E), Tuesday (F-L), Wednesday (M-R), Thursday (S-Z), Friday (Everyone), and Saturday (Everyone).
  • As for the federal business financial aid in the SBA EIDL emergency loan and the $350 billion CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Commerce Secretary Lindsay Kurrle said that the grant and loan programs were resulting in successful applications and payments to Vermonters, but neither she nor the SBA could provide actual numbers in the number of businesses or the amount of money. Governor Scott said he has spoken with Congressman Peter Welch and Senator Patrick Leahy. They told him they were working hard to get more money into the first-come-first-served program, which has suffered delays and will likely run out of money. Scott also urged them that any new legislation should come with less red tape and be more flexible in its ability to help small businesses.

The strategies continue to be updated based on guidance from federal and state public health officials. They currently include:​

Source: VDH 4.13.2020