While reopening efforts continue, Gov. Phil Scott extends state of emergency

For Immediate Release
Monday, June 15, 2020

Media Contact
Rebecca Kelley, Office of the Governor
802-622-4047 | rebecca.kelley@vermont.gov

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Governor Phil Scott today signed an executive order to update and extend the State of Emergency in Vermont to July 15. The latest order reflects all current re-openings and eased restrictions, which have been underway since late April to account for the State’s low case counts and continued slow growth rate.

State data and modeling shows overall spread of COVID-19 continues to be limited, even as the state has seen an isolated outbreak with 83 related cases in the Winooski area.

Governor Scott also detailed how a robust testing and tracing program; better knowledge of the virus; greater public awareness of, and adherence to, preventive measures; health and safety requirements across sectors; and increased stock of critical healthcare supplies, the state is much better positioned to track, manage and box in outbreaks and slow spread, which is critical to managing this virus until there is a vaccine.

“Each of these things demonstrate why we’ve been able to slowly reopen and lift restrictions, and why when we see outbreaks like in Winooski, it doesn’t necessarily require the same drastic actions we had to take in March,” said Governor Scott. “At the same time, we have to stay smart here at home, and we have to remember Vermont is not an island and this isn’t over.”

The Governor noted that with about 130,000 active cases within a 5-hour drive of Vermont, caution is still warranted, but that the state has most sectors open to some capacity and has incrementally eased restrictions on activities. The updated order outlines the health and safety requirements and restrictions that remain in place, while authorizing the continued incremental reopening of sectors under the guidance of the Vermont Department of Health.

“I know that with every move we make, some believe it’s way too much, too fast and others believe it’s way too little and too slow. I hear and understand the concerns on both sides but there are no easy answers or simple solutions and there is certainly no road map,” added the Governor. “So, we’ll continue to move forward under the guidance of our health experts and based on the trends we’re seeing both in Vermont and around us. If we get everything open in the right way and continue to test and trace to fight outbreaks, then we won’t have to retreat.”

The State of Emergency declaration is necessary to continue to manage and respond to this public health crisis. It gives the Governor the ability to activate numerous tools for response efforts, including protection for residents of long term and other medical facilities, licensing and regulatory flexibility to facilitate response efforts, health and safety requirements, federal emergency funding, and expanded access to needed services like housing, meal delivery and unemployment insurance.

“I know this has felt like a long journey already and so much uncertainty remains. But if we continue to stay smart, committed to each other. and, above all else, united together in this fight,we will get through this,” concluded Governor Scott.

To view the newly amended and restated Executive Order 01-20, which extends the State of Emergency, visit link.

To view restart status for all sectors, visit link.

Image courtesy of U.S. Department of State

14 thoughts on “While reopening efforts continue, Gov. Phil Scott extends state of emergency

  1. Why, when we know the recovery rate is over 90%, are we still masking- up and all the rest of it. Read this Gov’s travel stuff. It reads like an insurance form or credit card page with the bill. The vast, vast number of people will survive this. And why all this ‘wait for the vaccine talk?’ Oxford University just found a medication that helped 6,000 cases in UK. Why didn’t we get excited about that and promote it? Simple- a US drug firm has to get it, FDA approve it then set $price that will profit insurance carriers. This is about profit and control. Free the healthy and keep in mind- Covid-19 is not going to kill the planet. The pandemic response will.

    • One of the reasons Phil Scott is still playing this game and hanging onto COVID is he is naked to defend his record against John Klar in the primary, thus he fears confronting him almost as much as we are supposed to fear the Corona Virus. So I fear this will drag on for some time.

      Your points make perfect sense, but a fearful public cannot see things clearly in this day and age, and because a manufactured crisis is the preferred method for manipulating politicians, the games go on and on.

      Its a win, win for Scott all he has to do is facilitate the crisis for the new world order crowd and he gets to avoid debating his record as well as looking like our savior for protecting us from his malpractice and arbitrary economic shutdown.

      • Precisely! The recovery rate is actually much higher… 99%+ and on par for mortality rate with a seasonal flu (per recent CDC modeling). And, that is even with exaggerated assignment of death from COVID.

        But Phil Scott with the mainstream media has everyone believing they are going to die. Meanwhile, cloth masks are worthless, hard to wear and possibly harmful. The coronavirus vaccines tried previously proved to be deadly and the recent clinical trial for Moderna went very badly with several of the participants being hospitalized. No wonder Bill Gates wants indemnity for his vaccine.

        It’s time to go back to normal… not the new normal. #flattenthefear

  2. Governor Scott claims, “there is certainly no road Map” for navigating this manufactured crisis, at the same time he ignores the road map given to us by our founders for preserving Liberty and Freedom!

    Spoken like a true unprincipled follower, certainly not a leader who can be trusted with our Sovereignty!

  3. All one has to do is look at the data coming from Florida, Texas and Arizona and it will be abundantly clear tha the Governor is doing the prudent thing.

    • Spoken like a true paid employee of Phil Scott. This is why people should understand that his other comments – as reasonable as they may sound – are pure window-dressing and without sincerity.
      The time is over for legal or legislative wrangling over this. We must now openly rebel, and if they come for us with armed force, we should respond in like manner.

    • I’m looking at Vermont’s data, since that’s where we live Mike.

      Nothing justifies extending the ‘state of emergency’. Thousands of small businesses are hanging by a thread, and many will never reopen.

      Our tone-deaf morons in Montpelier will simply jack up property taxes to fund their nonsensical pet projects.

      I fully agree with Ken – we need a rebellion now.

  4. The recent Winooski outbreak has infected almost 100 people, but only 20 even had symptoms, 2 are hospitalized and no one has died. The death rate from COVID is about the same as the flu. This is NOT an emergency. The elderly and people with comorbidities like diabetes hypertension, and respiratory diseases can isolate themselves so the rest of us can get our freedom back and get on with our lives.

  5. If anyone votes to select this spineless lying tyrant it’s on your conscience as someone that would has zero concern for freedom and liberty.

  6. I knew this was going to happen, too. The emergency will be extended, month-by-month until they “find a vaccine” which means NEVER.
    How long as it been said, “until they find a cure for the common cold”? Coronavirus is a cold virus.
    Contact Tracing is total surveillance, tyranny.
    This is the slow-death of freedom and our Republic.
    Too bad our elected officials don’t care.

  7. Knew he would extend it, bet he’ll do it again on July 15yj and again on Aug 14th. He just lets the legislators tell him what to do.All because they want to use the Fed money for their pet projects, They been doing all along. while raising Taxes..He and the legislators are going against our Constitutional rights. Wake up Vermonters, we are being used by the left. TAKE BACK VERMONT

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