Gov. extends emergency, lodging, camping, rentals reopen May 22 with restrictions

MONTPELIER- Gov. Phil Scott extended his emergency order for another month, and at the same time announced the phased restart of camping and lodging in the state.
In his remarks at a regularly scheduled press briefing on Friday, Gov. Scott said the move was supported by data that now indicates that Vermont has the lowest COVID-19 growth rate in the country. "Even as we've slowly restarted the economy over the last four weeks, we continue to move in the right direction," he said. "In fact, we have the lowest three- and seven-day growth rates in the country. This is good news. Our data shows we can continue down this path."
Later in the briefing, Vermont Department of Financial Regulation Commissioner Michael Pieciak said the latest modeling indicates Vermont's projected doubling rate has now increased to 40 weeks. A week ago, the doubling rate was 12 weeks, he said, and is currently the second slowest doubling rate in the country. He said Vermont was a national leader in suppressing the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to Vermonters' embrace of science and public health guidelines. "We did not get here by chance, we got here by being smart, being safe, and following science and public health guidelines."
Gov. Scott said extending the emergency order will continue the state's success in suppressing the virus. "While our trends remain promising we know we're not out of the woods yet, especially as our neighboring states and Quebec are still seeing more cases and more deaths. That's why today, I've extended the state of emergency until June 15. This will allow us to continue managing this public health crisis while we transition out of it."
"We're also relaxing the stay home, stay safe order by aligning it with the sectors and social activities that are already allowed to open, and with our restart strategy," Gov. Scott said.
The latest order also includes the reopening of lodging, camping, and marinas under strict guidelines.
"This order also includes our next turn of the spigot," Gov. Scott said, "allowing limited openings of campgrounds, marinas, and lodging facilities. But they must comply with safety guidance, capacity limits, and cleaning requirements. This will begin next Friday, May 22."
Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development Secretary Lindsay Kurrle said the lodging business will "look different than it did before" the pandemic, and she outlined several important guidelines. "Effective May 22, lodging operations, short-term rentals, campgrounds, and marinas may accept overnight reservations from those who have met the 14-day quarantine requirement," she said, referring to an earlier gubernatorial order requiring anyone entering Vermont from stays outside the state to quarantine for two weeks. "(Lodging) operations may only book 25% of their capacity at this time. Vermont residents and those who have met the quarantine requirement will be required to complete a health questionnaire and certification confirming they meet the quarantine requirement and they have not had any symptoms. If a property is currently housing semi-permanent, seasonal residents, including those housed by (the agency of human services) clients or essential workers, those guests do not count against the 25% capacity. Stand-alone cabins, cottages, and short-term rentals are exempt from the 25% limit. Check-in should be done online or by phone to the extent possible. Operators must ensure that there are no gatherings of more than 10 people on the property at any time. Any direct services such as check-in, valet, and housekeeping must be limited to the greatest extent possible. Food service may only be offered as takeout or delivery in compliance with the current restaurant guidance. And operators must maintain a full guest log for 30 days in case contact tracing is required."
Kurrle said the full guidance, as well as a model health certification document, is available at www.accd.vt.gov.
Gov. Scott said the latest order also encourages Vermonters to wear masks while in public and, while he's not making them mandatory, he is allowing local legislative bodies to enact orders requiring masks. "As I've said, I continue to think we'll see better compliance through encouragement and education than we would through a mandate. But, understanding every municipality has different needs we've come to the conclusion it would be appropriate to allow them to implement more stringent requirements. So we're allowing them to do so. But city councils and selectboards have to take affirmative action as a body."
Gov. Scott suggested that more business sectors would open in the near future. "If the data continues to move in the right direction, we'll be turning the spigot more and more. Between now and June 1, you can expect us to open up close contact businesses like hair salons, indoor professional services, outdoor dining, and increasing the size of gatherings to 25. Again, this is if we continue to move in the right direction."