On Friday, May 1, Governor Phil Scott announced a third incremental, evidence-based step forward to put Vermonters back to work.
If able to comply with outlined safety measures, the governor’s latest order allows for the following operations:
Crews of 10 or fewer employees per location/job to perform outdoor work and construction work in unoccupied job sites. (Effective May 4)
Manufacturing and distribution operations may resume with a maximum of 10 employees in any location if they are low-density and ensure employees are always 6 feet apart. (Effective May 4)
Manufacturing, construction and distribution operations may restart with as few employees as necessary to permit full operations if they can meet all health and safety requirements, comply with ACCD guidance and develop enhanced training programs that expand on the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Agency (VOSHA) training. (Effective May 11)
Additional health and safety requirements, however, are required and include:
Pre-screening before each work shift, including temperature checks and survey to verify each employee has no symptoms of respiratory illness.
VOSHA’s minimum level of health and safety training to be completed no later than May 4 by all employees and documented by businesses and non-profit and government entities in operation. Additionally, employers operating with 10 or more employees must now adopt a training program, which must be made available upon request. In most cases, these plans should augment the VOSHA training standards to reflect the unique nature of various workplaces.
Businesses and non-profit and government entities may require customers or clients to wear masks, and all commuters are required to wear a mask while using mass transit.
“There is no playbook on what we can expect so we’ve focused on sectors like manufacturing and construction that have controlled environments, open space and built-in mechanisms and expertise in the areas of health and safety training. They’ll be able to set an example for others as we look to do more in other sectors,” said Governor Scott, highlighting the importance of limiting the spread of the virus as the state plans subsequent restart measures.
“We also have to recognize that states like Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York – states right on our borders and just a few hours away – are still confronting massive outbreaks and it only takes one spark, or one unhelpful decision, to reignite this fire. We all need to continue to be smart, cautious and disciplined to preserve our hard-earned gains,” he added.
The governor said more announcements would be coming either Wednesday or Friday this week regarding further openings and eluding to the fact that the next steps may be focused on recreation than further business sector reopening. For the most up-to-date announcements visit mountaintimes.info.
For business-specific safety guidelines and protocols visit accd.vermont.gov.
