Updated at 4:28 p.m.
Eighty percent of eligible Vermonters have received a Covid-19 vaccine, clearing the way for the state to reopen, Gov. Phil Scott declared Monday.
The announcement effectively brings an end to the pandemic-related restrictions imposed in March 2020.
It’s safe to lift restrictions, Scott said, “because Vermonters have done their part to keep the virus from spreading.
“No state in the nation is in a better position to do this than we are,” he said.
Effective immediately, there are no limits on the number of people who can congregate in restaurants, performance spaces or other indoor venues. Previously, gatherings were capped at 300 unvaccinated people, plus any number of vaccinated individuals.
The state’s “universal guidance,” which encourages unvaccinated Vermonters to continue to wear masks and practice social distancing, remains in effect. Masking had previously been required only for people who have not been inoculated. People should continue to practice good hygiene and think carefully before traveling, according to the state’s guidance, though quarantining and testing are not required.
Businesses also have leeway in instituting their own rules, and some federal restrictions remain in effect.
Yet for all practical purposes, Vermont has returned to its pre-pandemic norms. The state of emergency will be lifted at the end of the night on Tuesday, June 15.
That’s an emotional milestone for the governor and his team, who have been preoccupied by the Covid-19 crisis. The breadth of the pandemic had no precedent in modern times, and political leaders worked closely with scientists to discern the best path.
At a Montpelier press conference held to announce the news Monday morning, Scott thanked members of his team, the Vermont National Guard and frontline workers for their help combatting the pandemic.
“The people who deserve the most credit are everyday Vermonters,” he said. “You stuck together even when you were physically separated. … The dedication of all Vermonters to their families and communities has been incredible, and you should be very proud. I know I am.”
Vermont, with more than 643,000 residents as of the 2020 Census, currently has one of the highest vaccination rates in the nation. About 390,000 people ages 12 and older are fully vaccinated, and another 54,000 have started the process, according to state figures.
The number of people who are eligible for vaccination will likely grow in the coming months. Pfizer is expected to seek emergency use authorization to inoculate kids ages 5 and up this fall. Currently, only those age 12 and older can get the Pfizer vaccine.
However, though the state has reached a milestone, Scott has urged Vermonters to keep up their guards.
“Even after we hit 80%, we’re not going to declare victory,” Scott said last week. “The better we do now, the better position we’ll be for the long term.”
He said the Department of Health, pharmacies, hospitals and emergency workers will continue to offer walk-in vaccine clinics around the state. Primary care offices have also started offering doses.
Nearby states have already rolled back their Covid-19 restrictions. Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine all reopened within the past month. In New Hampshire, Gov. Chris Sununu allowed the state’s mask mandate to expire in mid-April and lifted business restrictions May 8.
Cases have not increased in those states after they abolished restrictions, Mike Pieciak, commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation, told VTDigger last week.
Vermont reached its full reopening about two weeks ahead of schedule. The governor had initially said he planned for a full reopening on July 4.
In Vermont, Covid-19 cases have continued to decline. They’ve dropped about 90% from their peak in April, and deaths are at a roughly seven-month low.
The state reported only one new case of the virus on Monday, no new deaths, and two people hospitalized with the virus.
Dr. Mark Levine, the state health commissioner, has said there is strong evidence that vaccines are effective at preventing transmission and curbing severe instances of the disease.
“The vaccine is the reason we’ve gotten to where we are today,” Levine said at a press conference last week. “It’s how we can live once again with fewer restrictions than in the pandemic.”
During Monday’s press conference, Scott reflected on the early days of the pandemic, when he rushed to the office to respond to Vermont’s first Covid case in March 2020. “I never thought I’d be the governor ordering businesses closed, or closing schools,” he said.
But the state’s more extensive preparations for waves of hospitalizations and deaths were not really needed, he said, because “Vermonters’ commitment to community never wavered.”
Quick questions about reopening
Scott and other members of his team also clarified what the new guidance means for different aspects of reopening.
Monday's announcement means that Scott has dropped the state restrictions in his emergency order for the pandemic, effective immediately. Some federal restrictions still apply — for example, to nursing homes and airline travel.
Scott said he'd go into more detail about how the emergency order would wind down at another press conference scheduled for Tuesday. The process would be orderly, he said, and there would be no "cliffs."
"Nothing is going to happen abnormally as of tomorrow night,” he said. “We will have a gradual slope away from the state of emergency."
Businesses still have leeway to require masks for employees and customers, and can ask for proof of vaccination if they choose, Scott said. He equated it to the “no shirt, no shoes, no service” policy commonly found at store entrances.
Individuals can also choose to wear masks if they feel more comfortable doing so, Scott said. While unvaccinated individuals aren’t required to wear masks, Levine said he recommended unvaccinated people, including children, continue to wear masks in crowded indoor spaces.
Scott did not say if the order would also lift municipal restrictions on masking. However, Burlington, South Burlington, Montpelier and Brattleboro have all recently lifted their own mask orders.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the date for the state's most recent Covid-19 case numbers and misquoted Gov. Scott.
