Gov. Scott calls for ice rinks to ‘freeze’ schedules as COVID-19 spreads; few shifts expected at The Ice Center

October 17, 2020 |  By Lisa Scagliotti 

The Ice Center in Waterbury got an updated Harwood Highlander mascot at center ice this fall. Courtesy photo.

A COVID-19 outbreak spreading through the hockey community has led New Hampshire to close indoor ice rinks for two weeks and Vermont Gov. Phil Scott to order Vermont skating facilities to “freeze” their schedules through Oct. 30. 

The governor on Friday issued an executive order telling “all indoor ice rinks/skating facilities to freeze their schedules and not take any additional reservations for use of the facilities” from 5 p.m. Friday through midnight Oct. 30. 

The announcement of Scott’s order noted that New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu has ordered indoor skating facilities shut in that state where a coronavirus outbreak has resulted in at least 158 cases among 23 different ice hockey teams. 

Scott said that the recent cluster of cases associated with the Central Vermont Memorial Civic Center rink in Montpelier may be linked to the New Hampshire outbreak. It has expanded to 18 cases,  according to state health officials.

“To reduce the risk to Vermonters, and to help sustain the progress we have made, rinks in Vermont may not take any additional reservations for the next two weeks,” Scott said.  

The executive order calls for Vermont rinks to halt booking any new reservations into their schedules through Oct. 30 “in order to avoid an influx of new users” from higher-risk areas to Vermont skating facilities.

The order does not affect the schedules and reservations already in place up until Friday. “Rinks may allow their currently scheduled operations over this two-week period, provided all other existing health and safety guidance is fully implemented,” the governor’s statement said. 

The Ice Center is already booked

In Waterbury, The Ice Center is not likely to see much change in activity during the period of the schedule “freeze.” Rink Manager Tim Griffth said there is little unscheduled time to fill in the next two weeks. “Most rinks have their fall/winter schedule fully set by the end of summer, so it’s very unlikely that any rink would be renting more ice right now anyway,” he said. 

Some rinks around the state have not reopened this fall, making ice time at those that are in operation in high demand. “Most rinks are so packed that they have no availability to schedule new slots anyway,” Griffith said. 

Sticking with the current schedule as it is booked through the end of the month won’t mean any significant change in use at The Ice Center, Griffith said. The bigger questions are around the unknowns as the season goes on. “I would not be surprised to see Vermont follow suit [with New Hampshire] and shut down all rinks if the COVID cases continue to rise … especially if we see more links to COVID cases and hockey players.”

The Ice Center’s policies regarding preventing the spread of COVID-19 are detailed on the facility’s website home page. They include requiring masks and minding distancing guidelines; no use of locker rooms and a strict limit to group sizes to comply with state guidelines. Parents and spectators are also not allowed in the rink. 

The center’s rules also explain in detail how to address playing out-of-state teams and how the state’s travel guidelines apply given the greater concentrations of COVID cases in neighboring states. “Failure to properly monitor travel, or providing misleading or inaccurate information about travel or symptoms, will result in an immediate ban of the entire organization/group for a minimum of 2 weeks,” the rules state.  

The Vermont Health Department updates a town-by-town map each week indicating COVID-19 cases in the state. Those with fewer than 6 cases are listed as having 1-5 cases. Waterbury this week increased from 11 to 13 cases. Most other surrounding communities have remained at the same level for weeks. Source: Vt. Department of Health.

Gov. Scott’s executive order notes that the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development will consult with the state Department of Health and the Agency of Natural Resources “to review existing guidelines to determine if a more aggressive response is needed to prevent further spread of COVID-19 related to indoor skating, hockey and other indoor recreational facilities.”

Griffith suggested that one step short of closing skating facilities might be to limit them to use by only teams with players and coaches from Vermont. That would mean revising schedules for leagues this year, an inconvenience and disappointment for some but perhaps it could be a worthwhile trade-off given the circumstances. “During a  pandemic, it’s better than not having hockey or skating at all,” Griffith said.

The new executive order comes at the end of a week that has seen 69 new cases in Vermont for a total of 1,915. Waterbury’s COVID-19 cases increased by two in the past week. The latest Vermont Health Department map showing COVID-19 cases by town as of Oct. 14 lists Waterbury with 13 cases, up from 11 listed on the Oct. 7 map. 

Cases in other nearby communities such as the other Harwood Union School District towns remain unchanged: Duxbury and Fayston with zero cases, and Moretown, Waitsfield and Warren still listed in the 1-5 case category. Stowe’s cases have remained at 23 for the past two weeks; Middlesex is listed as 1-5; Bolton went from zero last week to 1-5 this week. 

State health and education officials have not yet released guidance related to winter sports, many of which take place indoors such as hockey, basketball, wrestling and gymnastics. They have advised that it will likely be early November when schools learn what those guidelines will be based on current public health circumstances.