By Curt Peterson Local school district boards have been scrambling after the state announced last Thursday, March 3, that new guidelines would stop advising mandatory masking within school buildings after March 14. The new guidelines came out just three days […]
Category: Covid-19 updates
State: Starting March 14 it’s ok to go maskless
Vermont drops guidance for masking indoors, at school By Polly Mikula Starting Monday, March 14, it’s ok for everyone to unmask in public, including indoors and in K-12 schools, the state announced Thursday, March 3. “As our statewide hospitalization rate […]
Universal unmasking is likely on its way
Five of Vermont’s 14 counties (including Rutland) are considered high risk, per CDC, and should not unmask By Polly Mikula The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its Covid-19 precautions Friday, Feb. 25, by allowing people in areas […]
State admits Covid case counts are now a poor indicator of Covid rates
With rapid testing results mostly unknown, hospitalization and death rates are better barometers By Polly Mikula Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine presented the weekly modeling of Covid-19 in Vermont at the weekly press conference, Tuesday, Feb. 22. The charts showed […]
Rutland Regional Medical Center relaxes visitation, closes Covid vaccine clinic
Starting Monday, Feb. 14, Rutland Regional Medical Center will expand visitation for patients, allowing each patient to have two consistent visitors. This change comes as Covid-19 cases trend downward in Rutland and across Vermont and the hospital closes its public […]
Vermont vaccine advisory group quiet on Covid-19 mandates in schools
By Peter D’Auria/VTDigger On Tuesday morning, Feb. 8, members of the Vermont Immunization Advisory Council, a group of state officials that makes recommendations about vaccine requirements for Vermont schoolchildren, met for the first time in nearly two years. About 25 […]
State: Students can remove masks, if school 80% vaxxed
Covid’s risk to students mental health is now greater than physical health, governor says By Polly Mikula Masking in schools — among the last remaining Covid mitigation measures in place for students — will soon be optional for schools with […]
As Omicron recedes, experts warn against a premature shift
By Mike Dougherty/VTDigger Recent trends in Vermont’s Covid-19 case counts have officials and experts feeling optimistic about the course of the pandemic — but all warn it would be premature to brush off the Omicron threat just yet. As of […]
Covid cases fall
January saw record ICU visits, hospitalizations By Polly Mikula This week the Covid case numbers appear to be heading back to pre-Omricon levels after hitting record highs last month. The state reported 284 cases on Saturday, 311 on Sunday, 149 […]
Hartland board discusses projects for rescue plan funds
By Curt Peterson More than 30 people attended Hartland’s second public meeting on Thursday night, Jan. 27 to discuss how the town might best invest $1,050,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Everyone attended virtually but Rendy Strawbridge of […]