Vermont reporters provide a roundup of top news takeaways about coronavirus, an investigation into an apparent murder-suicide in Barre and more for Tuesday, Oct. 13.
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1. As regional case counts climb, Vermonters advised to limit out-of-state travel
State health officials are encouraging Vermonters to limit travel outside the state — advice that comes as new coronavirus cases are on the rise across New England.
New COVID-19 cases in the Northeast jumped by 3% in the last week and hospitalizations are also on the rise.
Deputy Health Commissioner Tracy Dolan told Vermont Edition people should think carefully about any upcoming travel.
“And as we move into the holidays this might be a time to hunker down and have some smaller family events, and really think twice about either visitors coming in, or going out-of-state,” Dolan said.
The state's travel map shows the number of people able to travel to Vermont without quarantining dropped by more than a million in the last week.
Health Commissioner Dr. Levine now, emphasizing the importance of getting a flu shot, and keeping hospital beds open for COVID cases.
— Jane Lindholm (@JaneLindholm) October 13, 2020
That rise means restrictions on more people who want to visit Vermont.
At a twice-weekly briefing on Tuesday, Commissioner of Financial Regulation Michael Pieciak, the state's point person for modeling case trends in Vermont and around the country, said the increase in case counts means a big decrease in the number of people who can visit Vermont without quarantining.
"Our regional cases have gone up again for another week, and the fact that we've had high case counts across the region for two straight weeks factors into our methodology and what counties are eligible for non-quarantine travel," he said.
Under the state's guidelines, if you're traveling to Vermont from a county with high case numbers, you are supposed to quarantine for 14 days, or for seven days and then get a negative COVID-19 test.
As of Tuesday, 664 people were undergoing voluntary monitoring after travel to or from red and yellow counties outside of Vermont.
As winter approaches, Gov. Scott said he's confident the state's ski resorts will be able to open for the season, despite the increasing number of COVID-19 cases around the region.
The state's ski areas draw many visitors who live within driving distance of Vermont, often in the New York or Boston metro areas.
Those regions are seeing an uptick in COVID cases, but Scott said he hopes that trend subsides before the snow flies and the resorts open for business.
"You know, we're all one big community. If their case numbers drop... they go back and they can travel into the state again, I think we'll all be better protected, obviously, because the virus won't be spreading," Scott said.
He said he's talked to ski industry leaders about their reopening plans, but he said those plans aren't fully developed yet.
State health officials announced they had identified 11 new cases Tuesday. To date, 1,886 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Vermont, and five people are hospitalized with symptoms under investigation. As of Tuesday, 174,560 people had been tested in Vermont.
Of the new cases announced Tuesday, three were identified as residents of Chittenden County, one was identified in Windham County, two were identified in Bennington County, three were identified in Washington County, one was identified in Orange County. One additional case was identified in Orleans County.
More from Vermont Edition: Boosting Indoor Air Quality To Weather A COVID-19 Winter
- John Dillon, Matthew Smith and Abagael Giles
2. State Police investigate apparent murder-suicide in Barre
Vermont State Police are investigating an apparent murder-suicide in Barre Town involving a Berlin police officer.
The State Police say that a 58-year-old part-time officer with the Berlin Police fatally shot a female acquaintance before fatally shooting himself on Monday afternoon. Investigators say the shooter was on duty at the time of the killing and drove a department-issued cruiser to the victim's apartment.
Detectives with the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit and Bureau of Criminal Investigations, assisted by the Barre Town Police Department, are investigating the incident.
- Sam Gale Rosen
Crisis resources: National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 Vermont Suicide Prevention Center: Text VT to 741741 National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746
3. COVID-19 cases confirmed in five Vermont schools
Vermont has now seen COVID-19 cases in five schools. But Health Commissioner Mark Levine says the disease does not seem to be spreading inside the schools.
Levine talked about the cases at the state's Tuesday news briefing. He said the Health Department has not recommended the schools close or shift to fully remote learning.
“I want to emphasize that even this far into the school year there have been no known instances of transmission of the virus in the schools. School-associated cases are among people who have been exposed to the virus in the community – outside of school,” Levine said.
As of Tuesday, the state's reporting dashboard indicated that, in total, 50 people were being monitored as close contacts of confirmed cases statewide.
The Health Department says the confirmed cases are connected to South Burlington High School, Williston Central School, the Windsor School, Manchester elementary and Essex elementary.
- John Dillon
4. Health commissioner praises Vt. Air National Guard's outbreak response
Health Commissioner Mark Levine says the Vermont Air National Guard did a good job of responding to cases of COVID-19 discovered earlier this month.
Levine said the guard learned of the first case on October 1. The public wasn't notified until days later. But Levine said that in the meantime, the guard launched an aggressive testing plan for its service men and women. In total, eight cases have been found in their ranks.
“I think actually once this first case was evident, the pace was rather rapid in terms of testing contacts, having other contacts tested once new people became cases and within a week actually getting a good handle on who was infected, who wasn't,” Levine said Tuesday.
The Guard halted flights of its new F-35 jet for two days last week while the cases were being tracked.
- John Dillon
5. Rutland School Board to weigh mascot change
On Tuesday night, the Rutland City School Board will discuss a controversial request to change the name and symbols associated with Rutland High School: the Raiders.
Originally represented by a stylized Native American chief – the school now uses an arrowhead.
Critics argue the name and symbolism perpetuates racist stereotypes.
Rutland resident Amanda Pagano started a petition to save the name that now has more than 2,000 signatures.
"We are a community born in tradition, the quintessential small-town, Friday Night Lights kind of place. Let's stand up for what we cherish and hold on to the comfort and stability of that hometown feeling during this very uncertain time,” Pagano said.
Tonight’s meeting will provide the first opportunity for the entire board to vote on the issue.
- Nina Keck
6. Scott says Vermont needs a new federal stimulus package
Gov. Phil Scott says a new federal stimulus package is needed to boost the state's budget and to help businesses struggling because of the pandemic.
Scott, speaking at his Tuesday news briefing, said his administration is at work now on next year's budget. He expressed some optimism that Congress would act fairly soon and send more money to the states.
“The president announced that he was willing to move forward with a stimulus package. The House has passed one; the Senate will hopefully will take one up and we'll have something that we can rely on, because we're going to need some help,” he said.
Vermont previously received about $1.2 billion in federal COVID-19 assistance funds, but that money has to be spent by the end of the year. Additionally, it can only cover costs that are related to the pandemic. Many states, including Vermont, are looking for more flexibility in a future stimulus package.
- John Dillon
7. Leahy questions Supreme Court nominee
Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy spent half an hour questioning Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett Tuesday morning
Leahy initially focused on whether Barrett would recuse herself from cases involving the 2020 election.
Leahy, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said President Donald Trump’s comments about the nomination show he wants Barrett on the court before the November election.
“When the president declares he needs his nominee to secure his reelection … some are going to question that nominee’s impartiality,” Leahy said.
Barret answered that she’d follow the legal statues to determine if there was a conflict.
“And part of that … is to consider any appearance questions … but I can’t offer [a] legal conclusion right now about the outcome of the decision I would reach,” Barrett said.
The confirmation hearing is set to end on Thursday.
- Liam Elder-Connors
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