As COVID-19 cases spike, Vermont and Waterbury take new steps
Updated November 15, 2020 | By Lisa Scagliotti 
Students wearing masks leave Thatcher Brook Primary School in a staggered dismissal routine to avoid crowding and meet up with parents waiting outside. K-6 students have in-person learning four days per week. Photo by Gordon Miller.
UPDATE: This story has been updated with details on the Waterbury COVID-19 testing site opening Nov. 16; also updated business closings and case numbers reported this weekend.
News related to the increasing spread of the COVID-19 virus throughout Vermont was steady this week highlighted by record new daily case counts and new measures announced by Gov. Phil Scott aimed at slowing the spread.
On Friday alone, Scott announced that:
Bars and and social clubs would close indefinitely to in-person service by 10 p.m. tonight.
Restaurants will need to end in-person service at 10 p.m. going forward.
Recreational sports - separate from school-sanctioned sports - are suspended.
Specific businesses serving the public must keep logs for contact tracing.
Businesses, nonprofits and government entities need to have employees work from home to the greatest extent possible. The most sweeping new measure is a directive for Vermonters not to mingle indoors or outdoors with people from other households given that small gatherings are a big driver in the recent COVID-19 case growth.
“We are at a pivotal moment,” Scott said. “We have an opportunity right now to get our arms around this record growth and return to the case stability we’ve grown accustomed to, but we all have to step up and recommit to following all current health guidance and to limit our contacts as much as possible.”
The new message eclipsed the governor’s directive from just a week earlier asking Vermonters to limit social gatherings to 10 people or fewer. At the Friday press briefing, Scott’s tone was firm as he offered examples to drive home his point - in one answer to a reporter’s question he advised to not even go for a walk with a neighbor.
“I know this is incredibly discouraging,” he said. “But the fact is, people getting together, not being careful and letting their guard down, is why we’re in this position today.”
The announcements followed a directive earlier in the week that anyone entering Vermont after non-essential travel needs to quarantine for two weeks or one week followed by a negative COVID-19 test. The rationale behind that step is that there are no “safe” locales from which people can travel back into Vermont without having risked exposure to the virus. Along those lines, updates to the state travel map of the Northeast have been suspended because case counts in the region are all significantly high.
Cases growing across the nation, region and state
The trend in Vermont and the region mirror the overall nationwide dramatic spread of the virus. U.S. cases have exceeded 10.8 million as of today with more than 247,000 deaths, according to Centers for Disease Control data. Daily deaths are exceeding 1,000 nationwide. Vermont saw one new death a week ago bringing the state total to 59.
On Thursday, Vermont logged 116 new cases of COVID-19, the highest single-day case count since the pandemic began in March. That followed Wednesday’s 72 cases that surpassed the spring record of 70. Friday’s count was 84; Saturday added another 94 while Sunday’s report lists just 45 statewide, according to the Vermont Department of Health.
Washington County has the second-highest case growth in the state in the past two weeks with 144 cases; only Chittenden County with 157 cases has had more case reports for the same time. Yet Washington County is confirming more new cases faster than Chittenden. On Friday, for example, the Health Department reported 26 new cases for Washington County and only 14 in Chittenden; Saturday saw 39 new cases in Washington County compared with 19 in Chittenden; Washington County still exceeded Chittenden 13 to 11 on Sunday.
Individuals socializing with family and friends is resulting in “unwitting spread of COVID-19” across the U.S. and in Vermont, state Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said. “These include holiday parties, birthday parties, dinner parties, baby showers and barbecues.”
Levine noted that the recent spike in cases comes two weeks after Halloween when many individuals gathered for celebrations.
Town-by-down data is reported with a bit of a lag. New case report data by town are released on Fridays reflecting case counts through Wednesday. The new state COVID-19 town-by-town map updated this Friday showed 23 cases for Waterbury through Weds., Nov. 11, up four from last week’s 19 reported cases.
Adjacent communities Stowe and Middlesex saw slight upticks: Stowe up two to 26 cases; Middlesex added one for a total of seven since record-keeping began March 5. Case levels for other nearby communities remained the same as they were through Nov. 7: Bolton, Moretown, Waitsfield, Warren all still in the 1-5 range; Duxbury, Fayston still were listed as having no cases.
Gov. Scott’s directives also emphasize the need for individuals to cooperate with Health Department contact tracing staff in order to contain the spread. Businesses also are asked to work with the state and their customers to gather and share information so people may quarantine and get tested if they were exposed to someone positive.
“We want people to be forthright,” Scott said this week. “Withholding information only delays the response and then encourages the spread of the virus itself because time is not on your side when you have something of that magnitude.”
State officials this week said they will step up compliance checks with businesses to ensure that the latest directives and overall guidance regarding wearing masks, distancing, indoor capacity limits, etc. are being followed.
Waterbury testing site, closings, announcements
Meanwhile in Waterbury, multiple announcements have come in the past few days connected to the pandemic and of importance to the public.
Waterbury Ambulance will host a free COVID-19 testing site with hours seven days a week “for the foreseeable future,” according to Director Mark Podgwaite. It will be located at the ambulance building at 1727 Guptil Road in Waterbury Center. Hours will be 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday through Sunday. Hours on Wednesday will be 5 to 8 p.m. Tests will be conducted in a drive-through format and preregistration is required; no walk-ins will be accepted. To sign up, visit the Vermont Department of Health’s webpage on testing at healthvermont.gov/covid-19/testing/where-get-tested.
Bisbee's on McNeil Road off Route 100 in Waterbury Center is closed. In a Facebook post on Nov. 12, store management said they wanted to address misinformation in the community: "Bisbee's Waterbury location is currently closed due to employees contracting COVID-19. The store has been closed for several days now and management is working with state officials and a deep cleaning is scheduled. Our Waterbury location will re-open at a date TBD once we are sure that we can do so safely." It notes that the company’s Waitsfield location and staff are unaffected.
WDEV owner Ken Squier, a familiar face on Stowe Street, shared news of his diagnosis with COVID-19 with radio listeners this week. Photo by Gordon Miller.
The Ice Center Friday said it would temporarily close given the state order to suspend recreational sports including ice hockey. “Due to the rising number of COVID cases in our area, coupled with the new state guidelines, The Ice Center will be closed effective Nov. 13,” the center’s director Tim Griffith posted on social media. “We will re-evaluate after Thanksgiving - stay safe and have a great holiday!”
Waterbury Public Library on Friday announced it would close to in-person visits but will remain in operation for curbside service starting today. Library Director Almy Landauer said hours will remain the same, patrons can still place holds on books and materials and virtual programs will continue. More details on the library’s website and social media.
WDEV owner Ken Squier took to the airwaves Friday morning to tell listeners that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating at home in Stowe. The Times-Argus reported that the 85-year-old broadcaster is resting at home and not taking calls. His daughter, Ashley Squier, told reporter Mike Donoghue that her dad wanted to share his news to tell people to take COVID-19 seriously. She said he had been careful to wear a mask, wash his hands often and keep distance from others, yet he still contracted the virus. Some staff at WDEV including station manager Steve Cormier were at home awaiting test results at week’s end.
The paper reported that Gov. Phil Scott said he had spoken with Squier. “He was in good spirits and I know we all wish him well in his recovery,” the governor said. “I appreciate Ken’s courage in sharing his experience and helping Vermonters understand that this virus knows no boundaries and doesn’t discriminate. It is so important for every single Vermonter to take this seriously, and do all they can to reduce their risks, and protect each other.”
McGillicuddy’s Irish Pub on Thursday that it was closing “until further notice” in a Facebook message. “Out of an abundance of caution we are having employees tested and will be conducting a deep clean of the entire restaurant,” the message states. The announcement also says, “We have not been contacted by the health department at this time. We will reopen at a time that is deemed safe for our employees and the community.”
Attempts to contact McGillicuddy’s management to clarify that statement have been unsuccessful.
Axel’s Gallery and Frame Shop announced it was closing with the intention of reopening for what’s called “Small Business Saturday” during Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 28. “It pains me to write this. Yesterday, our county reported the largest number of COVID positive cases for the year,” gallery owner Whitney Aldrich wrote in an email to customers. “This scares me and I'm concerned with the safety of my coworkers, our families and community. We've agreed that temporarily shuttering our doors will make us feel safer.”
School district and town government
Families with students at Harwood Union High School and Middle School are awaiting an update about their campus which was closed for in-person learning Thursday and Friday after an adult at the school tested positive and contact tracing needed to ensue.
School Superintendent Brigid Nease Wednesday informed the school community of the shift to remote learning for the two days; all other campuses in the district are so far unaffected. The results of the tracing activity would determine the school’s plan for Monday, Nease said.
The school district remains in operation with four days of in-person instruction and one day of remote learning for students in grades K-6. Students in grades 7-12 are in person just two days due to distancing guidelines and remote the other three days with classes divided into two groups attending different days.
Another related development in the state’s announcement to begin testing school staff across Vermont as a tracking method. The Harwood Union School District will have its first round of voluntary testing this week, Nease said. Teachers and staff may sign up for a COVID-19 test. The goal is to test in every district once a month, according to state officials.
Logistics around deploying the staff to conduct the testing were still being worked out on Friday, according to school officials.
Also this week, the Waterbury Select Board holds its regular meeting at 7 p.m. Monday. Municipal Manager William Shepeluk is on the meeting agenda to discuss the COVID-19 resurgence and the impact it may have on municipal operations. Town offices have remained open for staff to work in-person with members of the public making appointments to visit for records and transactions.
Friday was the deadline for property tax payments to be made. Shepeluk will also update the board on delinquencies anticipated given economic hardship due to the pandemic.
Some resources on COVID-19 information:
Overall COVID-19 health information, guidance, case data is at healthvermont.gov/covid19.
The governor’s actions is at governor.vermont.gov/covid19response.
The state’s modeling is at dfr.vermont.gov/about-us/covid-19/modeling.