Vermont reporters provide a round-up of ongoing local coverage of coronavirus for Sunday, April 19.
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Health department reports nine new cases of COVID-19
Vermont confirmed nine new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, according to the Health Department.
The state has recorded 812 cases and 38 deaths from the virus. Twenty-seven people are currently hospitalized and receiving treatment for the coronavirus.
Daily increases in confirmed cases have been relatively small for the past week, and officials said Vermont has likely hit its peak.
- Mark Davis
Legislative leaders call on Vermont State Colleges to postpone vote on campus closures
Vermont legislative leaders on Sunday asked the state colleges Board of Trustees to postpone a vote scheduled for Monday on a plan to close three college campuses. Gov. Phil Scott seemed to back the idea.
Jeb Spaulding, Chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges System, said closing Northern Vermont University's campuses in Johnson and Lyndon as well as Vermont Technical College's campus in Randolph will be necessary to close budget gaps caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Spaulding told VPR there is no backup plan.
In a statement released Sunday, Senate Pres. Tim Ashe and House Speaker Mitzi Johnson said postponing Monday's vote would allow for further study and a one-year bridge budget to keep the three campuses open.
In his own statement, Gov. Phil Scott said he "didn't support" Spaulding's plan, but that the existing system shouldn't be "bailed out." He called on the legislature to come up with a long-term education plan for all of Vermont's various school systems.
- Nina Keck
