BARRE — Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said the spread of the coronavirus and the potential economic downturn expected were unlike any challenge Vermont and the U.S. have faced.
“It’s not as though you can put up a wall, it’s not as though you can deny reality,” Welch said Monday in Barre, as he gave an update on federal emergency response legislation.
“What we can do is take precautions, but it is going to take action at the federal level, it is going to take action at the state level and it’s going to take personal behavior,” he added. “All three have to work together.”
Welch praised Republican Gov. Phil Scott, who announced a state of emergency Friday, for the administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and said that he and the governor have been in close communication.
“I am so grateful to the leadership, stable and steady, that’s been provided by Gov. Scott. We need that. He’s providing it,” Welch said.
The federal legislation includes a $8.3 billion emergency funding bill and House legislation to ensure access to free testing for coronavirus. It also established paid emergency leave — including both 14 days of paid sick leave and up to three months of paid family and medical leave.
There are also changes to federal unemployment insurance that would extend benefits to furloughed workers, suspend the employment requirement to be eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or 3SquaresVT in Vermont) and provide so school lunches can be delivered to children.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, has helped negotiate the $8.3 billion coronavirus proposal and made sure a $4.9 million grant was awarded to Vermont for COVID-19 assistance.
However, under the proposal passed by the House, the unemployment insurance and leave benefits apply only to employers with less than 500 employees.
Welch said he disagreed with this exemption and that if people are staying home for the benefit of public health, then the federal government should be “standing behind them and supporting that decision.”
“We can’t really expect this burden to be put on our employers, particularly our smaller employers and we certainly can’t expect that this burden will be borne by the individual,” he said.
“This is about keeping the lights on, keeping the public healthy,” Welch added.
Welch was joined by members of the Scott administration — Lindsay Kurrle, secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, and Michael Harrington, acting commissioner of the Department of Labor — who gave an update on how Vermont businesses are dealing with COVID-19.
Kurrle said information was changing daily and as of Sunday evening, 82 Vermont businesses sent status reports or had requested assistance from the Agency of Commerce. Kurrle added that these businesses include everything from bars, restaurants and manufactures to dog breeders.
“This small sample alone is a good example that this pandemic is impacting every face of Vermont’s business community,” Kurrle said.
Welch added that while it is rare for Vermonters to panic, the country is facing its most severe challenge since the 2008 financial recession. The Green Mountain State is already feeling the economic repurcussions, he said.
“The tourism industry here in Vermont, they are getting cancellations, cancellations, cancellations and the travel restrictions are having a significant impact on our economy,” he said.
Harrington added that before the arrival of the coronavirus in Vermont, the labor department processed from 3,200-3,500 unemployment insurance claims “at any given time” and said he expected this number to go up in the coming weeks.
“We certainly expect that to spike. Again that puts an additional strain on our resources,” he said.
“After what we’ve seen just over the past week, the number of impacted individuals is increasing and that puts an additional strain on our claim center and or our call center,” Harrington said before warning that this might cause a backlog which could delay unemployment benefits.
“We will make sure you get the benefits you deserve. It just may take a little time because there may be an influx of people calling,” he said.
Earlier Monday, Scott ordered a limit on public gatherings to a maximum of 50 people or 50% of an establishment’s occupancy — whichever is less — to come in line with the Centers for Disease Control’s latest recommendation.
“Right now the virus is having a significant impact in Europe and many of the health experts say that Europe is now the new China,” Welch said about decisions to curb COVID-19 in Vermont.
“All the actions Gov. Scott has taken, now we’re taking, are so that we don’t become the new Europe,” he warned.
Vermont Health Commissioner Mark Levine also announced Monday morning that Vermont has around 400 COVID-19 test kits on hand and that the state has tested about 420 people so far.
At the federal level, the availability of tests have been a major concern and President Donald Trump and his administration have been criticized for not having sufficient testing abilities.
“I would say it is the federal government that has been behind the curve on this, not our states, they are doing everything they can and there’s now an acknowledgement in Washington that we’ve got to really do everything possible to get all the tests out there that are necessary to help us get through this,” Welch said.
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