Vermont Gov. Phil Scott posted a Twitter thread over the weekend detailing the COVID-19 testing efforts in the state in regards to higher education reopening.
Citing an update from Vermont Financial Regulation Commissioner Mike Pieciak, Scott wrote that, “over 8,600 tests have been administered to returning students with only 19 positives. That equates to a 0.22% positivity rate, which is lower than the general Vermont population.”
Scott also wrote that more than half of the 15,270 out-of-state students Vermont plans to welcome back this fall have already been tested at least once. Of those 15,270 out-of-staters, 9,112 were back on campus in Vermont as of Aug. 26. The total number of students expected on Vermont college campuses this fall, including in-state students, is 21,292.
Scott finished the Twitter thread with a comparison of the testing procedures, and results, from Northern Vermont University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which, “has unfortunately been in the news recently for the outbreak on its campus.” Northern Vermont, which has campuses in Johnson and Lyndon and about 1,500 students, has a universal testing policy, has administered 2,347 total tests (for an average of 1.3 tests per student) and has had zero positive results. UNC, a school of about 30,000 students, has a testing policy limited to those with symptoms and exposure, has administered 4,887 total tests (0.16 tests per student) and had 945 positive results as of Saturday.
The Vermont Department of Health reported 11 new positive COVID-19 test results on Sunday, bringing the state’s total to 1,616. Three cases are currently hospitalized in Vermont. The state has also monitored 671 travelers and completed monitoring on 7,556 people.
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services reported 39 new positive COVID-19 test results over the weekend (30 on Saturday, nine on Sunday), including one new case with no identified risk factors. Eighteen of the new cases were in Hillsborough County, including nine in Manchester. The total number of diagnosed cases in the state is now 7,254.
The DHHS also announced one new hospitalized case, bringing that state total to 714. There were no new deaths announced
Some Vermont educators are wondering if remote learning could mean the end of snow days, the unexpected days off when weather conditions make it too hard for staff and children to reach school.
Bryan Olkowski, the superintendent of the Washington Central Supervisory Union, recently floated the idea at a school board meeting.
He said he brought it up lightheartedly, but it could be possible. Many school districts are working to switch to at least part-time remote education this fall.
It’s unclear if those systems could work with less than a day’s notice.
David Younce, of the Vermont Superintendents Association, said he hasn’t heard any formal conversations on the topic, but called the idea “common sense commentary.”
“The ability to work and learn from home is going to become more and more normalized, I suspect,” Younce told the Rutland Herald. “I think that makes it much easier to make a decision.”
But he said any decisions to shift to remote learning for inclement weather should be made in advance, such as noon the day before, to provide time for teachers, students and families to plan accordingly.
Concord city councilors will hold a public hearing Monday night on Zoom regarding a mask mandate for Concord businesses.
The idea of a mask requirement was first raised in May, but the council did not pursue it. However, medical findings promoting the efficacy of masks in preventing the spread of COVID-19, mask requirements in surrounding states and requests from the public led the council to reconsider.
The ordinance requires employees of all Concord businesses to wear a face covering, “when interacting with the public and whenever they are within six feet of a co-worker or a customer.” It also requires, “members of the public (age 10 and up) entering any business, including any outdoor area where business of any sort is conducted (except as stipulated herein), work site, or City of Concord government building must wear a face covering.” Business exceptions include, “restaurants or places of worship.”
Enforcement was one of the council’s concerns in May when this issue was first raised, and the ordinance details consequences for not wearing a face covering.
The penalty for the first offense would be a written warning and for the second and any subsequent offense it’s a $15 fine. Failure to pay the fine within 10 days results in the fine doubling, failure to pay within 20 days means the fine goes to $60 and failure to pay after 20 days may also result in a court summons.
Material from the Associated Press contributed to this story.