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Vermont Records No New COVID-19 Cases; First Time in Almost Seven Weeks
Good news for Vermont – The tally of coronavirus cases in the state remained the same on Wednesday. Health officials said there were no new cases of COVID-19 from the previous day – a first since March 13th.
During his regular coronavirus briefing, Gov. Phil Scott said, “it’s great news, but one day doesn’t create a trend and we have to look at the trend lines to see where we are going,”
For the past few weeks, Vermont has seen a decline in new cases each day. There were no deaths on Tuesday and Sunday, and only one on Monday.
Boston Globe reported that the numbers came on the day that Scott and officials from the Vermont Health Department outlined a plan to triple the number of coronavirus tests in the state. According to Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine, the goal is to be able to conduct 1,000 tests per day.
“As our testing continues to expand, we will use the strategies to ease some of the restrictions Vermonters have had to endure over the last few months,” Levine said.
The state has already begun to ease some of the economic restrictions caused by COVID-19.
Status Quo in Sight?
#BREAKING: Schools in Burlington County closed for month amid COVID-19 outbreak https://t.co/btDErVklTo
— FOX 29 (@FOX29philly) March 13, 2020
University of Vermont President Suresh Garimella feels confident that the Burlington school can “return to in-person status” in the fall.
“It is all but certain that cultural and behavioral shifts will be required as we navigate a world changed by COVID-19,” he said in a letter to the UVM community. “The bottom line is that ongoing education is critical, not just on an individual level, but to our state, nation, and society as a whole.”
As for unemployment, the Department of Labor “had begun making payments to those whose jobs were affected by the pandemic, but who aren't covered by the traditional unemployment program, according to Scott. This includes”the self-employed and independent contractors,” as reported by Boston Globe.
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