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Debate in Vermont over responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

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These pages were updated from March 2020 through June 2020 and do not contain the latest commentary available. To submit arguments for inclusion on this page, email editor@ballotpedia.org. To learn how Ballotpedia decides which arguments to feature, click here.


Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage of how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting America's political and civic life. In addition to monitoring federal, state, and local responses to the coronavirus, we are also capturing the nationwide and local debates on whether to extend or lift coronavirus-related restrictions affecting the economy, schools, government operations, public health, religious services, and travel.

These arguments come from a variety of sources, including public officials, journalists, think tanks, economists, scientists, and other stakeholders. We encourage you to share the debates happening in your local community to editor@ballotpedia.org.


This article covers the debate over continuing restrictions and closures in Vermont in response to the coronavirus pandemic. You will find the following:


Debate over stay-at-home orders in Vermont

See also: Debate over stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on the stay-at-home order in Vermont.

  • Vermont Health Commissioner Mark Levine (National Public Radio): Governor Phil Scott (R) announced that he would ease stay-at-home restrictions for certain businesses that could maintain social distancing, including outdoor, manufacturing, and distribution operations of five people or fewer. Vermont Health Commissioner Mark Levine said that he supported the governor’s plan to re-open Vermont gradually.

    "If you look at where we've come in the last six weeks, we've basically gone, in a very graduated fashion, through various degrees of prohibitions on mass gatherings and visitations to long-term care facilities, to school closures, to restaurant closures, to closures of gyms and salons, to telework, to the stay-home, stay-safe posture that we're in now. And it took us a while to get to all those places, although it seems like it's happened so rapidly, and we clearly don't want to just turn on - open the spigot completely at this point in time. We want to be very deliberate, and we want to monitor all of our data on an ongoing basis." - "Vermont Allows Some Businesses To Reopen While Social Distancing," April 23, 2020.

  • Governor Phil Scott (R) (VT Digger): Governor Phil Scott said that Vermont should lift its lockdown gradually in order to prevent a second wave of infection.

    "As I said earlier this week, as soon as the data shows a downward turn or trend we will open the spigot just one quarter of a turn at a time to get folks back to work in a measured way that’s responsible and safe. … And unfortunately, while it appears we’re leveling off, which is good news, we don’t have enough evidence at this point in time to show that the virus won’t spike." - "Scott extends ‘stay home, stay safe’ order through May 15," April 10, 2020.

  • Vermont Against Excessive Quarantine (VT Digger): A grassroots group called Vermont Against Excessive Quarantine argued that Governor Phil Scott’s stay-at-home order constituted a violation of civil liberties. - "Group plans rally against Gov. Scott’s Covid-19 stay home order," April 20, 2020.

    • Additional reading

  • "An interview with Phil Scott: ‘Sometimes you’re a victim of your own success’" - VT Digger, May 7, 2020

  • "Scott relaxes ‘Stay Home’ rules to allow small gatherings, outdoor recreation" - VT Digger, May 6, 2020

  • "Vermont residents react to governor’s plan to reopen the state" - WWLP, April 22, 2020


Debate over school closures in Vermont

See also: Debate over school closures during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on school closures in Vermont.

  • Governor Phil Scott (R) (WCAX 3): Governor Phil Scott responded to a proposal to close three campuses in the Vermont State College system to address a budget shortfall, which was worsened by the coronavirus pandemic. He asked the state legislature to develop a plan to reform the state college system.

    "To be clear, I don’t support adopting the current plan as proposed or asking taxpayers to bailout a system that is no longer financially viable. There is a far better, more positive path forward – including for the communities that rely on state college campuses to sustain their local economies – if we are creative and committed to the hard work ahead. … For this reason, I’m calling on the Legislature to begin work immediately on a statewide plan to rethink, reform and strengthen the education system in ways that are fair and equitable to every student, every community and every taxpayer. In fact, I believe it is possible for Vermont to emerge from this crisis on a path toward having the very best education system in the country, and ultimately, in the world." - "Gov. Scott calls on lawmakers to create new path forward for VSC," April 19, 2020.

  • House Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D) and State Senator Tim Ashe (D) (VT Digger): In a joint statement, House Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D) and State Senator Tim Ashe (D) argued that the Board of Trustees should develop a one-year budget proposal that would allow the campuses to continue operating for a year.

    "While we recognize that change must come, an abrupt vote to close three campuses, with three days notice, without a public plan for what comes next for the students, faculty and staff, and the host communities is not appropriate, especially in this era of unprecedented unknown." - "Amid backlash, state college trustees postpone closure vote," April 19, 2020.

  • Jeb Spaulding, Chancellor of Vermont State College (VT Digger): Jeb Spaulding, Chancellor of Vermont State College, explained his proposal to close three campuses in the Vermont State College system to address a budget shortfall.

    "I believe that if we didn’t make a tough decision, it was very likely that the Vermont State Colleges, which is a single corporation, would not be able to continue." - "Vermont State Colleges chancellor to recommend closing three campuses," April 17, 2020.

  • Ben Luce (VT Digger): Hundreds of people protested the proposed closure of three campuses of Vermont State College. Organizer and Professor at Northern Vermont University, Ben Luce, argued that the state should increase funding for the schools rather than close them.

    "This is just clearly a move to use the crisis as an excuse to carry out an agenda that they’ve been trying to carry out for several years of shutting these institutions down ... instead of just simply doing what’s right and increasing the budget to what would be a normal level for a state for funding its state colleges." - "Drive-through protesters push back on state college closure plan," April 20, 2020.

  • Church Hindes, Chair of the Vermont State College Board of Trustees (VT Digger): Hindes argued that the board would need to take action quickly to address VSC’s budget shortfall.

    "Delayed action increases the profound financial risks facing all four VSCS Colleges and Universities. Those risks grow daily. We simply do not have the funds to afford a protracted discussion and debate." - "Amid backlash, state college trustees postpone closure vote," April 19, 2020.

    • Additional reading

  • "Vermont State Colleges to undergo independent financial assessment" - WCAX, May 7, 2020

  • "Vermont State Colleges: Chancellor resigns, Castleton University president follows suit" - Burlington Free Press, April 30, 2020


Debate over religious service restrictions in Vermont

See also: Debate over religious service restrictions during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on religious service restrictions in Vermont.

We have not yet identified any statements related to this topic or state. To suggest a statement, email us.


Debate over election policy in Vermont

See also: Debate over election policies and procedures during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on election policies in Vermont.

We have not yet identified any statements related to this topic or state. To suggest a statement, email us.


Debate over prisons and inmates in Vermont

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on prisons and inmates in Vermont.

  • Secretary of Human Services Mike Smith (WCAX): Secretary of Human Services Mike Smith said he did not support releasing elderly inmates.

    "These are people that are dangerous to our society, we are not going to release these people." - "Plan to move COVID-19-positive prisoners raises concerns," April 10, 2020.

  • James Lyall, Executive Director of the ACLU of Vermont (Vermont Public Radio): James Lyall, Executive Director of the ACLU of Vermont, said that he supported releasing prisoners who were at greater risk from COVID-19.

    "[Governor Scott] is making the claim that everybody else in custody is the worst of the worst. You know, that is not true. Claims like that, unsupported by facts or data, should be presumed false, because they've made that claim for a very long time." - "Vermont Corrections Commissioner: 'We Didn't Expect This Number'," April 10, 2020.


Debate over the economic impact of coronavirus policy in Vermont

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on the economic impact of coronavirus policy in Vermont.


Responses to the coronavirus in Vermont

See also: Government responses to and political effects of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 (Vermont)


Click the links below for more on responses to the coronavirus pandemic in Vermont.

General resources

The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.

Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.


See also

Footnotes

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Political responses to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020-2021
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