While Vermont is with the majority of states that have chosen to shut down restaurants, bars and close-contact businesses statewide in response to the coronavirus, some states and governors have gone in a different direction.
Gov. Phil Scott and Attorney General TJ Donovan said today’s ban on all online booking of lodgings are absolutely necessary to limit deaths from the virus. The ban expresses concern that visitors from hot-spot states like Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey are attempting to come to Vermont.
If it is deemed necessary to do budgetary work or matters that address the COVID-19 pandemic, that should be the limit of legislative action. The other stuff can wait. Vermont should postpone such other lawmaking until safe.
The big explosion last week in the House made for splashy news coverage, but the real story was far murkier than the headlines suggested. But if detailed machinations of politics intrigue you, then I wrote this for you.
This new temporary law also creates emergency powers to allow the Secretary of State’s office to enact the necessary measures to enable Vermonters to vote safely during the 2020 COVID-19 health crisis. Such measures could include the mailing of ballots to every registered voter.
I do not know why you were removed from your committee assignment, but you appear to have been attacked from someone behind the shield of the COVID-19 crisis — perhaps a safe haven for those who would tread on individual rights and personal liberty.
The least of our problems is a trade war with China. Vermont needs an actual economic plan that addresses the most serious problems we face — pensions, schools, over-regulation and an unwieldy bureaucracy.
The government can do a lot to alleviate the economic impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, but Vermonters can also help our businesses stay afloat during this crisis. Here are some ideas.
President Donald Trump on Thursday credited enhanced testing for the fact that the United States now has the most confirmed cases of coronavirus in the world — surpassing China, where the pandemic originated.
Gov. Phil Scott on Friday acknowledged the pain of closing in-person schools for the rest of the year but said the step was necessary to mitigate the effects of a growing statewide pandemic.
The official unemployment numbers the Vermont Department of Labor reported this week did not include 11,000 unprocessed claims due to the record volume of layoffs.
Governor Scott may issue press releases merely “encouraging” us to cease gathering, cease person-to-person business and to stay at home, but his actual declaration directs and mandates it. By the order, the governor has deprived us of some of our constitutional rights.
Dear Governor Scott, on behalf of the citizens of the great State of Vermont, we are asking you to please include federal firearm license dealers in the list of businesses considered essential during the Covid-19 crisis.
With the U.S. surpassing 1,000 deaths and nearing 81,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, many health officials said an April 12 reopening would be too early. But Trump reiterated during his press briefing late Thursday afternoon that the country can’t stay closed for long.
“The education of our students and the bonding and learning experiences they have at schools are tremendously important, so I fully appreciate the impact and difficulty of this decision,” said Governor Phil Scott.
Initial claims for unemployment insurance have hit a record high in Vermont after Gov. Phil Scott shut down the state economy due to fears about the spread of the coronavirus.
