“Now that we have hit 80%, as promised and effective immediately, I am lifting all remaining state pandemic restrictions and the state of emergency will formally end at midnight June 15,” announced Gov. Phil Scott at a press conference Monday.
“There are no longer any State COVID-19 restrictions. None. Unless there is a federal requirement in place, like for public transportation or long-term care facilities, employers, municipalities and individuals can operate under the same conditions as before the pandemic.”
The passengers aboard Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Millennium ship were found to have tested positive for COVID-19 upon being examined at the end of the trip. Proof of vaccination was required to board the cruise, along with a negative test at least 72 hours before departing St. Maarten, where the trip began.
The announcement comes following a presentation to the Food and Drug Administration confirming 226 cases of myocarditis/pericarditis in people under 30. These cases are more than twice what was expected under the FDA’s safety assessment for COVID-19 vaccines.
Speaking at the governor’s press conference Friday, Health Commissioner Mark Levine said eight Vermont deaths reported to the nation’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System were not likely attributable to COVID-19 vaccines, though the health department will be keeping an eye on it.
Thirteen states have prohibited proof-of-vaccination requirements at all or some levels of government. Three states with Democratic governors — Hawaii, New York, and Oregon — exempt fully vaccinated individuals from some COVID-19 restrictions if they can provide proof of vaccination.
If a single child is sickened or dies after injection, perhaps we should scientifically conclude — as with COVID — that it was caused by the injection, and hold McCormack and the rest legally and morally accountable for that preventable harm.
“Because Vermonters have answered the call, today I am announcing an opportunity to eliminate all restrictions sooner than originally planned. So, here is my challenge to Vermonters: If we hit 80%, I will lift any remaining restrictions and mandates that day. To reach 80%, we will need to vaccinate 27,954 more Vermonters.”
We will require all students, faculty, and staff living, learning, or working on campus in the fall to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, except for those with an approved medical or religious exemption.
“We know a lot about the upside of the vaccine. We’ve been completely in favor of vulnerable people taking vaccines. But what about the potential risks? You’d think you would know more about that than you do.”
More than 100 colleges across the U.S. have said they will require students to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in order to attend in-person classes. According to federal law, all Emergency Use Authorization products “are by definition experimental and thus require the right to refuse.”
Lawmakers proposed an amendment that would ban on any state agency or “business getting taxpayer money” from “compelling” employees or clients to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Rep. Timothy Baxter, R-Seabrook, said passports mean people “could discriminate against flying, travel, going to a job or simply going to the supermarket.”