COVID-19

Town of Brattleboro COVID-19 Response Status – May 8, 2020, 1:30pm 

by Not Signed In | Town News

WHAT IS NEW TODAY 

• While we will continue to post a daily update to the Town’s website every day, we will issue those daily updates as news releases only on days when there is a change in the status of Town operations. This change is intended to make it easier for the media and the public to identify when something is changing. To check the status of Town operations at any given time, please view the latest daily update posted on the Town’s website. 

• The Brattleboro Recreation and Parks Department announces the following update regarding the status of its facilities: 

➢ The Fred H. Harris Tennis/Pickleball Courts at Living Memorial Park are open. 

➢ The frisbee golf course at Living Memorial Park remains open. 

➢ All softball fields are available to families for informal kickball, wiffleball etc. 

Softball fields are not yet open for more formal team activities (games or practices). 

➢ Basketball courts remain closed until further notice. 

➢ The Dog Park at Living Memorial Park remains closed until further notice due to COVID-19 and being recently reseeded to rejuvenate the turf. 

➢ All park equipment remains closed (benches, picnic tables, playgrounds etc.) until further notice because it is impossible to sanitize that equipment in between users. 

➢ Restrooms at Living Memorial Park and West River Park remain closed until further notice. 

Brattleboro Area Hospice Virtual Advance Care Planning/Advance Directive Session

by Not Signed In | Health

Brattleboro, Vermont.  May 13, 2020 10 -11 am Brattleboro Area Hospice’s Taking Steps Brattleboro (TSB) program will host a zoom Advance Care Planning/Advance Directive Question and answer Information session. If you are interested in attending, please contact Don Freeman by email: don.freeman@brattleborohospice.org  or calling 802.257.0775 ext 101 and leave your contact information so that you can receive the emailed zoom invitation and/or telephone call-in number.  

Interested people are encouraged to attend this informational session to ask questions about how to complete or update an Advance Directive for healthcare including where do I find the forms, who should be named as an healthcare agent, who do I give the completed form to, and how do I talk with my family about my healthcare wishes if I am unable to speak for myself? Anyone over 18 years old should have a completed Advance Directive. This is the second weekly zoom informational session, which will be held each Wednesday from 10-11 am through June 24, 2020.

VT Governor Scott Announces Limited Socializing

by Not Signed In | State News

Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today announced that outdoor recreation and limited social interactions may resume under strict health and safety precautions, as state modeling continues to indicate a slow in the spread of COVID-19.

While the Stay Home, Stay Safe order remains in effect, if able to comply with outlined safety measures, the Governor’s latest order allows the following social activities to resume:

Gatherings of 10 or fewer. Vermonters may now leave home for outdoor recreation and fitness activities with low or no direct physical contact and to resume limited social interactions and gatherings of 10 or fewer, preferably in outdoor settings that allow for greater physical distancing protocols.
Inter-household socializing. Members of one household may gather – and allow children to play – with members of another trusted household, provided health and safety precautions are followed as much as possible.   

Selectboard Meeting Notes – War and Water

by cgrotke | Town News
brattleboro sb may 5 2020

The Brattleboro Selectboard held their regular virtual meeting Tuesday night to discuss war monuments, COVID-19, the Town financial outlook, a new water treatment plant, a new pump station, a new purchase of property, and an overview of additional planned Utility Fund expenses.

The new water treatment plant is estimated, currently, to cost about $11 million.

Town of Brattleboro COVID-19 Response Status – May 4, 2020, 5:15pm 

by Not Signed In | Town News

WHAT IS NEW TODAY 

All Town offices resumed daily on-site office functions today, in accordance with the following: 

• The exterior entrances to all Town facilities remain locked at all times. 

• Signs are posted at all exterior entrances clearly indicating that no one may enter the building if they have any symptoms of respiratory illness (fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath). 

• There is only 1 employee in each office at any one time, except when more than one employee is necessary to complete a required task. 

• Employees who are not in the office continue to work from home in the same manner as they did during the full closure of Town offices between March 27 and May 4. 

• The public is requested to continue to do as much Town business as possible remotely (by email, internet, phone, or mail). Please note that this includes the payment of property taxes and utility bills. Those can be paid by mail, online, or by dropping an envelope containing your check (no cash) into a locked black drop box that is attached to the large wooden light pole in the parking lot behind the Municipal Center. 

VT Governor Scott Allows Limited Elective Procedures

by Not Signed In | State News

Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today announced limited elective procedures would resume, which had previously been put on hold as Vermont’s health care system focused on preparing for, and responding to, COVID-19.

The Governor’s decision comes as the state’s modeling continues to show spread of COVID-19 has slowed – thanks to Vermonters’ physical distancing efforts – and the state’s ability to track and trace outbreaks of COVID-19 has become more robust. Health care providers who recommence these procedures have been provided guidance and must meet specific mitigation criteria to protect patients and clinicians from possible infection.

Governor Scott Announces Additional Economic Re-Opening Steps

by Not Signed In | State News

Montpelier, Vt. – As modeling indicates continued progress in slowing the spread of COVID-19, Governor Phil Scott today 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 expands on Addendum 10 and Addendum 11 to allow the following operations to operate:

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 six feet apart. (Effective May 4)

Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting Agenda and Notes – May 5, 2020

by cgrotke | Town News

It will be a DPW night at the next regular virtual meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard. The Water Treatment Plant Replacement Project’s final engineering  is about to get underway, Signal Hill Pump Station will be replaced, and other utilities projects will be discussed.

The Town Manager will offer COVID-19-related information and updates and provide the board with a preliminary look at the current fiscal year as it begins to wrap up. You can virtually bring up other topics not on the agenda during virtual public participation.

How To Wear A Mask

by RDavis | Health

Over the past few weeks I have been tempted to create a squad of the mask police. I have seen too many people who either don’t seem to understand how a facemask is supposed to work or they think half a job is better than none.

When I see people who do not cover their nose with a mask my blood pressure rises a little, but I have refrained from telling them how to use it correctly. Forty years as a nurse in a variety of settings has given me some credibility in this area, having probably spent hundreds of hours in close proximity to communicable disease while wearing a mask and other protective gear.

This isn’t rocket science. It’s actually pretty simple if you just put a little bit of thought into why you are wearing a mask. Although some masks are more effective than others they all have the same purpose: to stop the spread of disease.

Vermont COVID-19 Cases – May 2020

by cgrotke | Health

We’ll continue our daily dashboard number roundup, with numbers from the Vermont Department of Health and Brattleboro Memorial Hospital with looks at nearby counties in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

You can find the April dashboard reporting here.

Town of Brattleboro COVID-19 Response Status – April 29, 2020, 4:30pm 

by Not Signed In | Town News

WHAT IS NEW TODAY 

On Monday, May 4, all Town offices will resume daily on-site office functions, in accordance with the following: 
The exterior entrances to all Town facilities will remain locked at all times. 
Signs will be posted at all exterior entrances clearly indicating that no one may enter the building if they have any symptoms of respiratory illness (fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath). 
There will be only 1 employee in each office at any one time, except when more than one employee is necessary to complete a required task. 
Employees who are not in the office will continue to work from home in the same manner as they have been during the full closure of Town offices since March 27. 
The public is requested to continue to do as much Town business as possible remotely (by email, internet, phone, or mail). Please note that this includes the payment of property taxes and utility bills. Those can be paid by mail or online. By Monday, they will also be able to be paid by dropping an envelope containing your check (no cash) into a locked black drop box that will be attached to the large wooden light pole in the parking lot behind the Municipal Center. 

Governor Scott Announces Additional Openings of Phased Restart

by Not Signed In | State News

Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today outlined some additional openings as part of the phased restart of Vermont’s economy, introduced last week.

The Governor’s Stay Home, Stay Safe order remains in effect, but with modeling continuing to indicate Vermonters are significantly slowing the spread of the virus, the Administration is taking a cautious, incremental and evidence-based approach to putting Vermonters back to work.

Governor Scott has emphasized the need for continued – and even expanded – vigilance as the state implements its restart strategy, saying: “Restarting the economy requires each of us to take a lot of personal responsibility. Each and every one of us has to do our part to help prevent the spread and protect the vulnerable by adhering to all of the social distancing and public health guidance.”

Town of Brattleboro COVID-19 Response Status – April 24, 2020, 12:30pm 

by Not Signed In | Town News

• After weeks of intense activity to set up and refine remote operations, the past 10 days or so have been characterized by the steady maintenance of the status quo during the deepest part of the “Stay Home – Stay Safe” restrictions. We are now seeing the very slight re-opening of some activities in society (what Governor Scott has called “re-opening the spigot a quarter turn at a time”) and we are planning for how to slowly, methodically, and safely reopen Town facilities and resume in-person Town services. Daily updates next week and beyond will include detailed information about the steps we will take “a quarter turn at a time” to ramp back up to something resembling normal operations. In the meantime, we thank everyone for your patience and your adherence to the social distancing restrictions that are frustrating for all of us but also are essential to our individual and collective well-being. Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay well. 

Vermont Arts Council and Vermont Humanities COVID-19 Relief

by Not Signed In | Arts

MONTPELIER, VT—Arts and humanities organizations in Vermont facing hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic can now apply for emergency relief funding through a new partnership between the Vermont Arts Council and Vermont Humanities.

The new COVID-19 Cultural Relief Grant Program is seeded with more than $700,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020.

Grant awards are based on organization size:

Annual operating budgets of up to $200,000: $5,000.
Annual operating budgets between $200,000 and $750,000: $7,500
Annual operating budget larger than $750,000: $10,000

Governor Scott Issues New Guidelines For Limited Back-To-Work

by Not Signed In | State News

Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott today outlined an approach for the phased restart of Vermont’s economy, emphasizing the state’s modeling indicates initial steps can be taken while the Stay Home, Stay Safe order remains in effect.

To begin to execute this strategy, Governor Scott today signed an addendum to Executive Order 01-20, which – in order to start getting more Vermonters back to work – institutes new health and safety requirements and encourages the public to wear cloth face coverings.

It also directs the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) to issue guidance authorizing outdoor businesses and construction operations with crews of two or less and some single-person low contact professional services, such as appraisers, attorneys, realtors and others, to operate if specified safety requirements can be met. These openings are effective April 20.