Lodging owners could face fines, jail, for failure to comply with Gov. Scott's order

MONTPELIER – On Monday, Gov. Phil Scott ordered additional restrictions for anyone traveling into Vermont.

The order prohibits short-term rentals at hotels, motels, inns, and even Airbnb rentals, and requires anyone coming into Vermont to self-isolate for two weeks. The order follows police compliance checks at Vermont lodging facilities over the weekend.

At a press conference Monday morning, Gov. Scott said his latest order reinforces and clarifies an order last week requiring the closure of lodging facilities and was prompted by new information from the Centers for Disease Control. “Yesterday the CDC issued new guidance asking those from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to refrain from non-essential travel for the next 14 days,” he said. “In light of this, in my continued concern for the health and public safety of all those in Vermont, I signed a new order directing anyone who enters Vermont to self-quarantine for 14 days once they're here. And that means head to where you're going, with no stops in between. Though it would be best for our friends and family from other states to follow CDC guidance and stay where they are, I understand some people who have a home or family in Vermont may need to return.”

Gov. Scott said the order applies to everyone traveling to or returning to Vermont. “It's not just our border states, it includes those who have wintered across the country and are returning,” he said. “We need everyone entering Vermont to abide by these self-isolation guidelines.”

Gov. Scott said the guidelines do not apply to people crossing the state border for work or for grocery shopping.

Over the weekend, state and local police visited the state's 318 short-term lodging businesses, checking to ensure businesses are complying with the order to close lodging properties. According to Vermont Commissioner of Public Safety Michael Schirling, 88 of the properties were open, of which 44 were determined to be out of compliance with the governor's order. The other 44 were determined to be in compliance, housing people who are engaged in the COVID-19 response.
“Today's order makes it clear that (the order closing short-term lodging) applies to hotels, motels, B&Bs, short-term rentals meaning those booked through Airbnb and others, and all campgrounds and RV parks,” Gov. Scott said. “We still see some online booking advertising occurring. This is a violation of the stay-at-home order. To make that crystal clear, today's new restrictions suspend online reservations.”

Gov. Scott asked travelers not to come to Vermont for the health and safety of Vermonters, but he also had a message for Vermonters. “Let me be clear,” he said. “We can't let this become an us-versus-them view of the world. That's not who we are as Americans, and certainly not who we are as Vermonters. We shouldn't let anything change that.”

Schirling said lodging establishments that were found to be noncompliant with the order will receive a letter from the department of health and the department of public safety that they must bring their business into compliance, followed by a phone call from the Vermont Attorney General's office. “After that, there will be regular monitoring for compliance,” Schirling said. “This relates exclusively to the health of Vermonters and the capacity of our health care system.”

Attorney general T.J. Donovan said he expects most business owners will comply voluntarily. “The best way to enforce the law is to give people an opportunity to comply with it,” he said. “But there are possible civil penalties of $1,000 to $10,000 per violation, and criminal penalties of a $500 fine up to six months imprisonment. But the last thing anyone of us wants to do is enforce these orders and seek penalties. We're asking for compliance.”

According to Vermont Commissioner of Health Dr. Mark Levine, Vermont currently has 256 people who have tested positive for COVID-19, including 21 new cases on Sunday. The number of deaths, 12, hasn't changed since Friday. The state is also monitoring another outbreak at a senior housing facility in Essex Junction, an independent living facility with more than 50 apartments. Levine said there have been two deaths associated with the facility, including one resident at the facility.

Levine said the additional measures announced by Gov. Scott Monday morning were critical to the state's efforts to keep the number of COVID-19 cases from overwhelming the state's medical capacity. “If we're to succeed in flattening the curve, it's essential for the health and safety of all Vermonters to comply with Gov. Scott's orders,” he said. “Because there are now so many hotspots around the country, we're asking Vermonters returning from other states to self-isolate, and we're asking other travelers to stop coming to Vermont.”

Levine also said that an additional COVID-19 testing facility was set up at Landmark College in Putney over the weekend. Levine said the increased testing will likely result in an increase in the number of positive tests, but people should realize that it is a reflection of more testing, not of an increase in the transmission of the virus. “Early testing is a proven strategy to control the virus, and Vermont is still early enough in the curve for it to be effective.”

Gov. Scott's initial order is set to expire within days, but he said Vermonters should expect the order to be extended. “I think everyone should expect this to be extended to April 15 and beyond. We're still trying to determine which provisions will remain in place. We'll be sharing our modeling with Vermonters over the next few days.”

 

The Deerfield Valley News

797 VT Route 100 North
Wilmington, VT 05363

Phone: 802-464-3388
Fax: 802-464-7255

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