From the Vermont State House | 11.13

Governor Scott issued stringent new restrictions to in-person interactions after a week of record highs in Vermont’s COVID testing results. Addendum 8 to the Amended Executive Order 1-20 goes into effect at 10:00 PM, Saturday, November 14^th, and it:

• suspends social gatherings involving members of more than one household;
• closes restaurants to in person dining as of 10:00 pm every night and limits restaurant seating to one household per table;
• closes bars and social clubs;
• requires all public accommodations that host non-essential activities to maintain a contact log that includes name, address, phone number, and email address of visitors;
• requires anyone signing into such a contact log to consent to contact tracing, and directs Vermonters to comply with all contact tracing efforts;
• suspends recreational sports programs (but does not suspend school sports)
• requires college students to quarantine at home for 14 days or 7 days with a test;
• and directs all businesses in the state, including non-profits and municipal government entities, to switch back to telework to the maximum extent possible.

At his press conference, the Governor and Health Secretary Levine illustrated the problems the state currently faces with COVID spread: it is substantially prevalent within the community, and the state’s contact tracing efforts are growing less effective. The Governor said there are no immediate penalties associated with individual noncompliance with this executive order, likely to encourage greater response rates to contact tracing. However, he did remind Vermonters that the Department of Public Safety is beginning COVID compliance spot checks with businesses, and as per his prior press conference, those checks may result in a referral to the Attorney General’s office.