Vermont Schools To Grill Students During Thanksgiving Celebrations, Governor Announces



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Vermont Gov. Phil Scott told a news conference on Tuesday that schools across the state will include new questions during daily health checks to find out if students and their parents attend gatherings outside of their homes after the Thanksgiving holidays.

Scott noted that all students attending events with more than their immediate household will be required to take online classes for a two-week quarantine period or self-quarantine for a week and then take a COVID test. -19 negative.

“We understand how difficult it is, but since we know these types of gatherings have been the cause of so many outbreaks, we need to do everything we can to slow this down,” Scott said.

The governor also encouraged companies to take the same approach with their employees.

“From my perspective, that’s a fair warning to those of you planning to hold gatherings outside your home for Thanksgiving,” Scott added. “If you don’t want your kids to have to switch to distance learning and quarantine for seven days, maybe you should make other plans.”

The latest effort comes as state officials have warned that small gatherings are fueling the recent surge in coronavirus cases and fear that Thanksgiving gatherings with people from multiple households may make the problem worse.

THE DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR OF NORTH CAROLINA PROBLEMS NEW CORONAVIRUS RULE: WEAR A MASK AT HOME IF YOU HAVE CUSTOMERS

Vermont, which still has one of the lowest COVID-19 case counts in the country, reported 49 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the state’s total since the start of the pandemic to more than 3760 cases.

Vermont Department of Financial Regulation commissioner Michael Pieciak says of those cases, about 40% were reported in November alone. He noted that if Vermonters got together for Thanksgiving, it could lead to a worst-case scenario of 3,200 to 3,800 new infections and 40 to 50 hospitalizations.

However, officials are optimistic that by encouraging people to stay home, this worst-case scenario can be avoided.

“I know how we are with this pandemic,” said Dr. Mark Levine, Vermont health commissioner.

People who choose to attend rallies and those who travel, including returning students, must follow state quarantine procedures.

“Quarantine means staying home and away from other people for 14 days,” Levine said. “Don’t go to school, don’t go to work, don’t go out for errands or hobbies other than maybe a walk alone in the woods.”

CDC CONSIDERING A SHORTENING OF THE CORONAVIRUS QUARANTINE PERIOD

The governor said if people listen to the recommendations and the number of cases starts to drop, it will be possible to ease restrictions while the state waits for the arrival of vaccines that can end the pandemic.

“I know asking you to sacrifice yourself again is frustrating,” Scott said in a tweet. “But there is a light at the end of the tunnel and we will get there. The sacrifices we make today and in the coming weeks will allow us to arrive faster, stronger and in a better position than any other state. “

The 7-day moving average of daily new cases in Vermont has increased over the past two weeks from 28 new cases per day on November 9 to 100.86 new cases per day on November 23.

Currently, 22 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, five of whom are hospitalized in intensive care units. In addition, 64 people have died from the virus.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report

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