Scott Reopens Manufacturing, Construction Industries After Dip In New COVID-19 Cases
Gov. Phil Scott removed his cloth mask at a press conference Friday, where he said tens of thousands of employees in the manufacturing and construction sectors will soon be allowed to return to work.
The manufacturing and construction businesses that employ more than 50,000 people in Vermont will be allowed to 鈥渞estart full operations鈥� on May 11, but Gov. Phil Scott says companies will have to adhere to 鈥渟tringent requirements鈥� to protect workers and customers from COVID-19.
The growth rate in new COVID-19 cases in Vermont is now among the . Scott said during a press briefing Friday that the latest coronavirus trend lines triggered his decision to begin sending more Vermonters back to work.
鈥淚 mean, these two sectors alone make up about 50,000 to 60,000 鈥� employees through construction and manufacturing, so it鈥檚 a huge industry for us,鈥� Scott said.
Those two sectors had already been cleared to return to work, but Scott . Starting Monday, May 4, the limit will increase to crews of no more than 10 employees at any facility or work site.
Assuming Vermont doesn鈥檛 see a spike in COVID-19 cases as a result of that decision, Scott said, construction and manufacturing businesses will be permitted to return to full capacity on May 11.
Scott said businesses ability to reopen hinges on now being developed by the Agency of Commerce and Community Development.
He added those requirements will include daily temperature checks for workers, though that mandate will not apply to businesses that are unable to source thermometers.
Bill Shouldice, CEO of the Vermont Teddy Bear Company and a member of Scott鈥檚 鈥淩eopen Vermont Taskforce,” said the will begin offering online training sessions 鈥渢hat are focused on COVID-19 best practices.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 our hope we鈥檒l use the coming week to do the training so we can have an opening that is complete and started on May 11,鈥� Shouldice said Friday. 鈥淥ur sector is not returning to normal today. We understand that how we do business will determine if we can continue to do business.鈥�
Case growth continues to slow
Scott鈥檚 decision to reopen the manufacturing and construction sectors comes as Vermont continues to see a decline in its COVID-19 growth rate. Last week, Vermont was on pace to see a doubling of total confirmed cases every 37 days.
As of Friday, according to Commissioner of Financial Regulation Michael Pieciak, the estimated doubling time is now 84 days. Vermont鈥檚 COVID-19 growth rate is now : Montana and Hawaii.
鈥淲e are continuing to see a very low active case count, and we are continuing to see a very low three-day rolling average of case growth, all below 1%,鈥� Pieciak said.
The Vermont Department of Health reported 13 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Friday, and one additional death.
Earlier this week, Health Commissioner Mark Levine said Vermont would soon . On Friday, he outlined a list of new symptoms that would make people eligible for testing.
鈥淏esides the traditional of triad of fever, cough and shortness of breath, additional symptoms now include loss of smell or taste, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, chills or shaking,鈥� Levine said.
“Stay Home” changes coming
The governor hinted Friday that he鈥檒l announce an additional easing of his 鈥淪tay Home鈥� order next week.
Scott said he plans to change guidance Monday that could allow for increased 鈥渇amily connections and outdoor recreation.鈥�
He said he鈥檚 also reviewing an
鈥淲e know that as more people go back to work, that child care is an issue,” Scott said. “So we have our team working on that as we speak, so we鈥檒l be talking about that a little bit more next week.”