On Friday, September 18, Governor Phil Scott announced updates to COVID-19 guidance for bars, restaurants and lodging establishments, as well as a new program to support businesses affected by the pandemic.
“On Tuesday, Dr. Fauci emphasized that our low case prevalence is why we’ve been able to do reopen, saying, ‘When you have a test positivity of 0.2%, you are starting with the game on your side,’” said Governor Scott. “So, as we continue to see low case counts, and as we’ve learned from our experience with lodging and indoor dining over the last few months, we’re updating our guidance.”
Restaurants and bars can now utilize bar seating if patrons are 6 feet apart, and a partition is in place between patrons and the staff behind the bar. In addition, capacity limits were lifted for lodging establishments, allowing them to book all available rooms. All mandatory safety measures, travel restrictions, quarantine requirements and the cross-state travel map remain in place. Capacity restrictions remain for dining and gatherings at these facilities.
Additionally, the administration will now update the cross-state travel map and COVID-19 data modeling presentation each Tuesday to give Vermonters and visitors more time to properly plan weekend travel this fall. The travel map was updated September 18 and will be updated again on Tuesday, September 22, and each Tuesday thereafter.
“I know this is not enough to soften the economic blow to our hospitality sector and we’re continuing to work with the Legislature to support these businesses that were hit the hardest,” Governor Scott added.
Governor Scott and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development also announced new free technical assistance resources for businesses navigating the COVID-19 public health emergency through the Small Business Recovery Technical Assistance Program. The program provides a variety of support through the state’s 12 regional development corporations, Champlain College, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, Northern Community Investment Corporation and the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund.
Click here for updated business guidance.
Click here for travel guidance.
For more information on:
- COVID-19 health information, guidance and case data, visit healthvermont.gov/covid19.
- The Governor’s actions, visit https://governor.vermont.gov/covid19response.
- The state’s modeling, visit https://dfr.vermont.gov/about-us/covid-19/modeling.
