GOVERNOR PHIL SCOTT ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL ECONOMIC RE-OPENING STEPS

Montpelier, Vt. – As modeling indicates continued progress in slowing the spread of COVID-19, Governor Phil Scott today announced a third incremental, evidence-based step forward to put Vermonters back to work.

If able to comply with outlined safety measures, the Governor’s latest order expands on Addendum 10 and Addendum 11 to allow the following operations to operate:

• Crews of 10 or fewer employees per location/job to perform outdoor work and construction work in unoccupied job sites. (Effective May 4)
• Manufacturing and distribution operations may resume with a maximum of 10 employees in any location if they are low-density and ensure employees are always six feet apart. (Effective May 4)
• Manufacturing, construction and distribution operations may restart with as few employees as necessary to permit full operations if they can meet all health and safety requirements, comply with ACCD guidance and develop enhanced training programs that expand on the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Agency (VOSHA) training. (Effective May 11)

This latest restart phase includes additional health and safety requirements that build on those in previous addendums, including:

• Required pre-screening before each work shift, including temperature checks and survey to verify each employee has no symptoms of respiratory illness.
• On April 27, VOSHA developed a minimum level of health and safety training to be completed no later than May 4 by all employees and documented by businesses and non-profit and government entities in operation.
• Employers operating with 10 or more employees must now adopt a training program – which can be developed independently, or through industries, trade associations, chambers of commerce or other representative organizations – which must be made available upon request. In most cases, these plans should augment the VOSHA training standards to reflect the unique nature of various workplaces.
• Businesses and non-profit and government entities may require customers or clients to wear masks, and all commuters are required to wear a mask while using mass transit.

Governor Scott continues to highlight the importance of limiting the spread of the virus as the state plans subsequent restart measures: “There is no playbook on what we can expect so we’ve focused on sectors like manufacturing and construction that have controlled environments, open space and built-in mechanisms and expertise in the areas of health and safety training. They’ll be able to set an example for others as we look to do more in other sectors.”

“We also have to recognize that states like Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York – states right on our borders and just a few hours away – are still confronting massive outbreaks and it only takes one spark, or one unhelpful decision, to reignite this fire. We all need to continue to be smart, cautious and disciplined to preserve are hard-earned gains,” he added.

For a full list of health and safety requirements for all businesses and specifications for each newly opened operation, click here to view Addendum 12.

To view ACCD’s memo to business for specific safety guidelines and protocols, as well as additional resources, visit accd.vermont.gov.

For more information on:

• COVID-19 health information, guidance and case data, visit www.healthvermont.gov/covid19.
• The Governor’s actions, visit governor.vermont.gov/covid19response.
• The state’s modeling, visit https://dfr.vermont.gov/about-us/covid-19/modeling.