Vermont reported its first new death from the coronavirus in 43 days on Thursday, bringing the state’s total number of deaths since the pandemic began to 57.
“We have been uniquely fortunate to have been spared such a loss for many weeks,” said Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine in a written statement.
The state also reported one new case of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.
The state is maintaining a relatively low rate of new positive cases because of “the cooperation and sacrifices of Vermonters,” he said.
“However, while we are hopeful that together, our efforts will keep us from experiencing more illness and deaths in the future, we must be prepared for the fact that the virus is not going away anytime soon,” Levine said. “I ask everyone in Vermont to join me in honoring this latest loss by recommitting to doing everything we can to keep each other safe and prevent further spread of this virus.”
Education Commissioner Dan French told lawmakers Thursday that he thinks it’s realistic and prudent to open schools under certain public health precautions but he said it’s also prudent to give some districts time to work their way toward more in-person instruction.
The House Education Committee heard from French and other education officials, including teachers, superintendents and the Vermont NEA in a virtual meeting. French said he thought it was “very realistic and very prudent to open schools” at the state-defined level of health precaution described as “when the virus is suppressed but a high degree of school-level protections are implemented.”
“It’s not so much about suddenly looking at the science and saying, ‘Oh, you’re right, we can do this.’ It’s about addressing the emotional issues, and the anxiety issues that parents and teachers have around this very … uncertain context,” he said.
Gov. Phil Scott said Tuesday that he planned to issue an order allowing schools to open Sept. 8, a week later than usual, to give local school districts more time to prepare.
Many Vermont school districts are already planning to reopen this fall, with hybrid, in-person and remote instruction. A few are planning to resume full-time instruction, Scott had said.
NASCAR drivers and their teams won’t be racking up many miles outside New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend — the state is requiring them to remain either at the track or at their hotels during their stay.
“They don’t go out to dinner, they don’t go out and get coffee, nothing like that. They’re really quarantined in that bubble between where they sleep and where they work,” Gov. Chris Sununu said Thursday.
The speedway in Loudon is hosting the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 on Sunday, the first large sports event with spectators in New England since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
While the state allowed the speedway to host up to 35% of its capacity, the roughly 12,000 tickets sold amounted to closer to 20%, Sununu said. About 90% were sold within New England.
According to the state’s lodging guidelines, anyone from outside New England staying overnight in a New Hampshire hotel, motel or rental property is supposed to quarantine at home for 14 days before arriving.
Fans will be required to wear masks when not in their assigned seats.
Operators of water parks and other seasonal attractions are hoping to expand their capacity for the rest of a summer that already has been shortened by the coronavirus pandemic.
Amusement parks and other venues were allowed to open in late June at 25% capacity. Jeb Boyd, the chief executive officer at Whale’s Tale Waterpark and Alpine Adventures in Lincoln and Candia Springs Adventure Park in Candia, said Thursday the parks have reached that capacity multiple times. Visitors are following social distancing guidelines, he said, and there’s plenty more room for them to spread out.
“It’s a ghost town at 25%,” he told the Economic Reopening Task Force.
Boyd said it’s unfair hotels have been allowed to increase occupancy to 100% and the New Hampshire Motor Speedway will be allowed to host up to 35% of its capacity for this weekend’s NASCAR race, while his business and others are limited. Meanwhile, he has noticed an increase in people congregating to swim in rivers, where no safety precautions are taken.
“It’s absolutely a mess, not to mention the fact there’s no social distancing,” he said. “It’s very unsafe.”
At the Mount Washington Cog Railway, tourist trains have been allowed to operate at 50% capacity. But owner Wayne Presby told the task force he hopes the state will bump that up soon.
As of Thursday, 6,544 people had tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, an increase of 33 from the previous day. Four new deaths were announced, bringing the total to 415. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases has risen over the past two weeks from 23 new cases per day on July 15 to 34 new cases per day on July 29.
Starting next week, the state will begin transitioning its nine temporary testing locations to hospitals around the state, Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette said.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and the infirm, it can cause more severe illness and can lead to death.