Gov. Phil Scott issues ‘stay home, stay safe’ order, directs additional closures

Press release – March 24, 2020
Office of Governor Phil Scott

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Governor Phil Scott today issued a “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order and directed the closure of in-person operations for all non-essential businesses.

These restrictive measures are in place to minimize all unnecessary activities outside the home to slow the spread of this virus and protect the public. These actions were implemented in consultation with the Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health and his evaluation of the latest data.

“I want to be very clear about this: We need everyone to limit activities outside of the home and to practice social distancing at all times to slow the spread of this highly contagious and potentially deadly virus,” said Governor Phil Scott. “We all must do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19 to minimize infections – particularly for those who are elderly or have underlying chronic health conditions – and prevent it from overwhelming our healthcare facilities. The more Vermonters who take this seriously and stay home, the faster we can return to normal.”

The Governor’s order directs Vermonters to stay at home, leaving only for essential reasons, critical to health and safety. If leaving the home, Vermonters should adhere to social distancing policies, including remaining six feet from others (except for those with whom they share a home) and thoroughly and regularly washing hands.

Effective March 25, 2020 at 5:00 p.m., all businesses and not-for-profit entities not expressly exempted in the order must suspend all in-person business operations. Operations that can be conducted online or by phone, or sales that can be facilitated with curbside pickup or delivery only, can continue.

The Order provides exemptions for businesses and entities providing services or functions deemed critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and national security. This includes – but is not limited to – health care operations; retail serving essential human needs, like grocery stores, pharmacies and hardware stores; fuel products and supply; news media; maintenance of critical infrastructure; and transportation and critical manufacturing sectors. For a full list, please review the order at https://governor.vermont.gov/content/addendum-6-executive-order-01-20.

All exempt entities must still strictly adhere to CDC and Vermont Department of Health guidance to ensure social distancing and proper hygiene and disinfecting is occurring. All exempt entities conducting retail operations should also facilitate curbside pick-up or delivery to the extent possible.

“I fully recognize the emotional, financial and economic impact of these decisions, but based on the best science we have available, these measures are necessary,” said Governor Scott. “I need all Vermonters to understand that the more quickly and closely we follow these stay-at-home measures, the faster and safer we can get through this and get our daily lives, and our economy, moving again. I have tremendous faith in Vermonters and our ability to follow these guidelines, to save lives and support each other throughout – even as we are physical separated.”

Governor Scott declared a State of Emergency on March 13, and has since directed a number of mitigation strategies in order to reduce close contact among individuals, including visitor restrictions for long-term care facilities and other health facilities; the closure of bars and restaurants, schools and day care centers and close contact businesses; limiting the size of mass gatherings; postponing all non-essential medical procedures; and ordering all businesses to implement telecommuting wherever possible.

The Stay Home, Stay Safe order will be in effect until April 15, 2020, though may be extended or shortened as needed. For full details, please click here to read the full addendum.

Commercial entities, non-profits, employers and others with questions about acceptable continuation of business operations should contact the Agency of Commerce and Community Development via this online form: https://bit.ly/covid-vt-business-operations.

For the latest information and guidance relating to Vermont’s COVID-19 response, visit http://www.healthvermont.gov/covid19.

Image courtesy of Public domain

15 thoughts on “Gov. Phil Scott issues ‘stay home, stay safe’ order, directs additional closures

  1. Don’t seems that this article by Headline Health has been viewed much, believe or don’t believe. This doesn’t just applies to Cruise liners, but cold be universal. Studies are done by medical universities and New England Journal of Medicine, so noted.

    Coronavirus traces lingered in vacated cruise cabins for weeks
    https://headlinehealth.com/this-is-how-long-the-virus-lives-on-surfaces/

    Also:
    How long can the virus that causes COVID-19 live on surfaces?
    https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/03/20/sars-cov-2-survive-on-surfaces/

    Also:
    Coronavirus Traces Lingered in Vacated Cruise Cabins for 17 Days
    https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/coronavirus-traces-lingered-in-vacated-cruise-cabins-for-17-days/ar-BB11B6sF

  2. Now perhaps everyone will understand why the governor and legislature were pushing to increase the police across the state and centralize all law enforcement.

    • Time for you to move to Red China, where you’ll feel more at home. They have the totalitarianism you desire.

  3. Amazing they’ve taken 2’trillion dollars from us, shut down the country and declared victory!

    Huh?

    Amazing how fast they came together in taking all our money, with their 1200 page bill that came out of thin air, to which they all must have read before signing. CEOs, left,their companies in droves, politicians cashed out on their stock accounts, coincidentally had perfect timing.

    And all us Americans are sitting here dealing with a virus. Seems like a hell of a clean up after a big party, and we weren’t even invited. Nope our spoiled rotten, insubordinate, unruly, lying, camera obsessed, sleezebag, criminal, representatives and senators had one helluva party at the people’s expense.

    I bet their fun lovin ways have only just begun. Wonder if they’ll call the cops on us now?

    Yeah, interesting times, we’ll find out soon enough who are real friends and enemies are.

    • Lord help us, “suddenly” if the parents come home, try and break up the party and “accidentally” get stuck or injected by some parties and overdose ( get corona virus) and now the house is left to the drug dealin kids, Pelosi is president? Yeah how would that look?

      Lord help us and protect us.

  4. New York City is the epicenter for the northeast, major airports allowed travelers
    to come & go for months and now they are feeling the pain.

    The City should have locked down day one, I bet the flatlanders that have a property
    here in Vermont are bunkered down here !!

    We need to take precautions with this “Wuhan Virus ” as you can see the CCP doesn’t
    give a rats A’s about its own people and we surely know they have compassion for
    the USA, well I’m off to work and will continue to work as I need to pay my burdened
    some taxes………… thanks, Governor !!

    • Can’t get anything posted relative to your post with a little more info. Strange. You said more than I did.

  5. Dave this is not true. If all Vermonters (and visitors) strictly stay in place for 2 to three weeks the virus will die. It can only live by spreading. The tighter we all adher to the Governor’s and Commissioner Levine’s rules the sooner we can get our economy rolling. It is our duty to do this not just for the elderly but for all Vermonters. In Mass the young are affected much more than what was seen in China. We don’t know why but it may be due to the striking increase in vaping which has occurred in our youth. No matter why, the only way to prevent 1000s of Vermonters unnecessary deaths, and cost to our state’s economy of their disease and treatment, is for us all to stay strictly in place for two to 3 weeks while those who have it do not spread it but nurse through their illness. And who don’t don’t catch it. But this will not work if we take halfway half hearted measures or undermine the best way forward to cure this which has been out lined by the Governor and Commissioner Levine. We also need a proliferation of easy cheap available covid 19 diagnostic tests to monitor and put out future hot spots.

    • It’s already spread through out our nursing homes which were under lock down. On some reports of virus spread they talk about it spreading within an entire office within 2 hours for a regular virus and this iPhone is supposedly 3 or 4 times more contagious? My guess is we’ll peak in the coming weeks, which from what I’ve seen is a normal peak period.

      Will be interesting times surely, may we all be blessed.

    • So far all but 2 deaths were in nursing homes and elderly with underlying conditions. All cases are not Vermonters. And we do not know how many exposed and or quarantined are active. All measures in any given situation should be targeted to where the need is – not to everyone.

      Quarantining entire state is only effective for making the sheepled and panicstricken feel safe, and Comrade Phil assuaging his donors – mostly Trump Delusional Syndromed and Dems. However it will only work if applicable to *everyone* – as long as *anyone* is exempt it cannot be claimed to be working. So we would need to be under Martial law and mandatory lockdown for what you and ilk are proposing. And facilities to test and care for those affected moved out of hospitals to military-style makeshift facilities – think MASH. With warm weather coming viruses generally die.

      No one is right all the time. We have opinions which cause us to come to differing conclusions and best course of action. Comment is more of the routinely inaccurate wildeyed fearmongering displayed in other comments made by you. In fact – we do not know if this will stop it or if any other measures will either – no one except God knows. Credentials do not make anyone right period. And educated opinion applicable only to field of expertise and in that context and should be noted *experts disagree*.

      Health care workers and those employed by these facilities have exponentially more exposure to the Wuhan flu than anyone else – should they be forced to self quarantine for two week shifts when someone in their orbit tests positive. How about nursing home employees specifically from sites affected.

      What we do know is where most of the ‘cases’ occurred and what areas, if any should be the ones to “stay home” it is in the areas of VT where the deaths have occurred. And if NYC is the epicenter – why should they be allowed to possibly import their disease here in VT.

      So if everyone is ordered to stay home Comrade Phil does not have to chance losing support from donor base in the affected areas. Fearmongering and panicstricken hysteria should not have the last word.

  6. Total waste of time. With people fleeing New York City and Boston and heading for Vermont the disease will explode in Vermont regardless of precautions taken by the Gov.

    • Agreed,reminds me of the first couple of seasons of the Walking Dead and with people from NYC there’s not much difference as they are infected with the plague of Leftism.
      The worst part part is that rock solid conservative Benedict Scott bought it hook, line and sinker.

    • Great point – its like allowing flights from China, Iran and Italy. And why isn’t Comrade Scott closing border with NY and mandating all those coming into VT quarantine for two weeks w/monitoring also mandated to ensure our facilities are not overwhelmed. And I see showboat Cuomo isn’t closing the border either while locking down NY.

      Because this isn’t about our safety but about these governors political future and donor class?

Comments are closed.