GOVERNOR RESTRICTS MULTI-FAMILY GATHERINGS TO COMBAT COVID NUMBERS
MONTPELIER: Governor Phil Scott announced today that new restrictions are being put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus, including banning multi-family gatherings.
An additional provision in the new restrictions also limits restaurants from serving past 10pm and completely bans in-person bar service.
The new executive order takes effect at 10pm on Saturday evening.
Here are the new restrictions set forth by the Governor:
• Multiple Household Social Gatherings Suspended. Attendance at all public and private social, recreational and entertainment gatherings, indoor and outdoor, including large social gatherings incidental to ceremonies, holiday
gatherings, parties and celebrations, shall be limited to participation with only members of a single household. For the sake of clarity, nothing in this Order prohibits the gathering of members living in the same residence. Individuals who live alone may gather with members of their immediate family residing in a different household.
• Restaurant Hours and Seating Limits. All 1st class licensees (restaurants) must be closed to in-person dining at 10:00 p.m., but may provide food and beverage alcohol, including spirit-based drinks and malt and vinous product accompanying food orders through curbside pick-up, drive-through, and delivery services for off-site consumption after 10:00 p.m. in accordance with Agency of Commerce and Community Development (“ACCD”) Worksafe Guidance. Restaurants must provide seated dining service only and to no more than one household per table in accordance with Section 2: above as well as the occupancy limits set forth in ACCD Worksafe Guidance.
• Closure of Bars and Social Clubs. 2nd and 4th class licensees and licensees
other than 1st class licensees who serve food, or partner with entities who serve food, including bars and social clubs shall suspend operations; however, bars and social clubs may offer take-out, curbside pickup and delivery of beverage alcohol, including spirit-based drinks and malt and vinous product.
For purposes of this Order, “bars and social clubs” means establishments generally held out to be a bar, club, tavern, brew pub, brewery, microbrewery, distillery pub, winery, cidery, tasting room or other place of public accommodation licensed to serve beverage alcohol, including spiritbased drinks and malt and vinous product and, if serving food, only serves snacks, pre-made food, microwaveable or other food items not required to be prepared in an on-site kitchen equipped to provide menu service.
• Contact Log. All restaurants and other public accommodations which host organized non-essential activities shall maintain an easily accessible, legible log of all employees, customers, members and guests and their contact information, including name, address, phone number and email address for 30 days in the event contact tracing is required by VDH. For the sake of clarity, this requirement applies to all employees and all guests in every party.
• Consent to Contact. All customers, members and guests providing information in accordance with section 2(d) above, consent to be contacted
by the VDH Contact Tracing Team
• Contact Tracing Compliance. To preserve the public health and safety, to ensure the health and safety of the State, and to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Vermonters are directed to comply with requests made by the VDH Contact Tracing Team. Vermonters who have been identified as a case or a close contact are required to:
– Promptly answer calls or otherwise respond to the VDH Contact Tracing Team;
– Provide full, complete and truthful information concerning places they have been, activities they have engaged in and persons with whom the individual has had close contact, including contact information when possible;
– Comply with all VDH recommended quarantine and isolation periods and testing.
Failure to comply with this provision may result in referral to the Office of
the Attorney General for enforcement.
• Recreational Sports. All recreational sports programs, including organized
and/or informal recreational youth and adult league sports, practices, games and tournaments, are hereby suspended. This suspension shall not apply to school-sponsored sports activities which are subject to applicable Agency of Education Guidance.
• Returning College Students. All students who are returning home from a college or university, in-state or out of state, shall quarantine at home for fourteen days, with a test for COVID-19 strongly encouraged, or quarantine for no less than seven (7) days at which time they must be tested for COVID19.
• Telework. All businesses, not-for-profit entities and municipal government
entities in the State shall reinstitute, to the maximum extent possible, or reemphasize to the extent necessary, telecommuting or work from home procedures. In person meetings are strongly discouraged and all meetings should be held by telephone or electronically to avoid in person meetings whenever possible.
