 Good morning, everyone It's Friday Which means we'll be covering our weekly education update as well as a health update from dr. Levine Before we get to that I want to comment on the situation in Michigan Where the FBI and state and local law enforcement uncovered a plot to take over the Capitol? Take hostages including the governor and to attack law enforcement and first responders including a state police facility This news Which appears driven by intense and deep polarization is shocking and Disturbing and is why all of us need to find a way to heal the deep divisions in our country to start this type of activity and Violence of any kind should be universally condemned Elected officials across the country, but especially at the top must realize that words matter We all need to be aware that violent groups exist and we must stop the rhetoric that incites this path to violence We all must do better because our kids are watching and they're learning from us And we're reaching a boiling point in this country, so it's up to all of us to lower the temperature Enclosing I want to send my thoughts to governor Whitmer her family and staff and all those in Michigan And I want to thank the federal state and local law enforcement officers Who put their own safety at risk every day and prevented this from becoming an incredible tragedy? It's an important reminder of the importance of public safety and law enforcement in this country Now there's no easy way to transition from that to an update on our schools, but I'll give it a try We're exactly One month into the school year So we want to reflect on all the hard work that has made the Returning to school possible as well remind folks of what we must do to keep our schools open In order to have in-person learning both continue and expand First and foremost, I want to thank school board members Superintendents principals teachers school staff bus drivers and the maintenance staff for all you've done to make school Reopening go so smoothly this fall. I Also want to thank kids parents And others for your patience and understanding Going all the way back to the end of the last school year and this summer as state and local leaders have worked together To get this right As you may know, we've had a few cases of COVID linked to schools in the last month And we're certainly not out of the woods when it comes to this virus But when these situations have occurred as we knew they would School leaders have responded quickly and work closely with the Department of Health and Agency of Education To prevent in-school transmission. I Think we all agree. There's no substitute for in-person learning So the fact that we're getting this right Getting kids back into the classroom with their peers and managing the risk of this virus is one of the proudest achievements since all this began And most of the credit belongs to all of you Every day for monitors doing the right thing With a month under our belts, we're hearing of more and more schools Increasing the amount of in-person instruction they're offering This is exactly what we had hoped for Proving schools can reopen safely which increases the amount of time kids could be in the classroom Secretary French and the agency of education have sent a survey out to districts Which will let us know where all our schools are right now In terms of weaning off from hybrid learning But what i'm hearing anecdotally and through the media is more schools opening their doors physically We'll have the results of that survey for you next week at this briefing I also want to reiterate our schools reflect the surroundings if the virus is suppressed in the community It keeps the risk of an outbreak and the school low So as dr. Fauci told us three weeks ago We must remain vigilant that means wearing a mask keeping six feet of distance washing your hands a lot staying home when sick And one more i'll add to all of that Consider getting a flu shot this year As we continue to manage this crisis and consider how to come out of it stronger than before I think this pandemic has made it clear how essential public education And childcare is It's important to our families our economy and to the daily fabric of our lives So before I turn it over to secretary french I also want to recognize our child care and early learning system Those who stepped up from the get-go to make sure essential workers had care for their kids And then quickly stepped up again when schools began to reopen to fill gaps on remote learning days We know we have a long way to go to make our pre-case to to 12 system more coordinated with After school child care and early education But we've taken some steps forward in this pandemic that could help us in the future With that secretary french Thank you governor. Good morning Our covet 19 case count remains low and to date. We have not seen any transmission of the virus in our schools commissioner p check Includes the aggregated school data and as regular tuesday updates and you can also Find these data on the department of health website Our schools continue to settle in with the implementation of our health guidance as expected We are seeing more schools move to more in-person and learning For example, burlington announced this week that its elementary schools are moving to four days a week in person instruction And other schools in the chitney county region are doing the same Mill river, which is just south of ruttland recently announced its moving to in-person instruction as well Mill river has been completely remote since schools opened last month Starting on the 19th mill river students in grades pre k through four Will have in-person instruction five days a week And students in grades five and six will follow starting five days a week on november 2nd Students in mill river in grade seven and 12 will be under a hybrid model I had a call with superintendent john castle the north country supervisory union this week North country is one of our largest supervisory unions from a geographic perspective Stretches from north troia the canadian border through newport down to lowell j over to charleston And iowan pond or brighton According to superintendent castle. He thinks things are going very well He ran into one of his kindergarten teachers at the recycling center over this weekend And she said quote-unquote it almost feels normal I think things are starting to feel more normal in our districts because of all the hard work people put into the preparations this summer They've planned well and now feeling more comfortable operating their schools in these conditions Even with the vaccine however, I expect our schools will be operating with these necessary precautions for some time If not for the remainder of the school year So it's important that we maximize opportunities for in-person instruction now when the conditions are very positive to do so As the governor mentioned we are implementing a monthly data collection to monitor the trends for in-person learning And hybrid learning over time We sent out the first survey last week and I expect to be able to provide some reporting on those results next week Also our task force behind the creation of the health guidance Has been meeting to consider revisions that health guidance I expect we'll be issuing revised guidance by the end of october But we're also trying to address issues now That would benefit from greater clarity One of the issues that came up this week had to do with the distancing guidance That currently applies to students in grades pre-k through five Based on some feedback from the educators on the task force We went ahead and expanded that distancing to include grade six Our sports task force led by secretary more has been meeting to work on our upcoming winter sports guidance Most winter sports are held indoors. So the considerations are more complex and perhaps more problematic than the fall sports Complexity of this work has led the group to conclude That this guidance will be published at the end of october rather than october 15th as originally planned This means practices for winter sports will likely start after Thanksgiving And games and competitions will likely begin after the first of the year The winter sports guidance will have a similar structure to the fall sports guidance In that it will include provisions that are general to all winter sports as well as guidance that is specific to each sport In terms of sport specific guidance At this point i'm not optimistic about our ability to allow wrestling and indoor track this winter Wrestling is problematic due to the high degree of physical contact Indoor track has the challenge of having a large number of participants indoors during their meets The task force is still working on finding a path forward for allowing other winter sports including basketball and hockey The task force is working on how to mitigate the risks associated with these sports Once again, I expect our guidance for winter sports to be published at the end of the month That concludes my update. I'll now turn it over to dr. Levine Good morning As of last evening we stand at 1,838 cases Continue to have No more deaths about the 58 we've announced previously There were no inpatients On the report this morning and one person under investigation We continue to uh look at regional data some of what you saw on tuesday Both regional data and Especially midwest data indicate that there are states that have had increases in cases and in some cases Increases in hospitalizations When looking at the region I take special note of boston new york Connecticut rhod island new jersey Both in the categories of cases and hospitalizations You've heard a lot about our very successful experience with k through 12, which I won't reiterate here But over the last two weeks, we've only seen a small number of college cases across the state I believe our total number would be I haven't tracked it specifically today, but you know close to uh 50 I want to put that in contrast to To date 178,000 cases in colleges across the country in terms of outbreaks Though we continue to follow a number of small number incidents The one I will focus on again this morning Is the outbreak of covet 19 among seasonal workers at champlain orchards reported on this previously and earlier this week And continue to say that it is contained to this site There's no risk to the public from apples the workers or the staff And again if you've been apple picking in the past couple of weeks Or visited the farm stand you are not at risk either Since tuesday when I last reported another round of testing has occurred and one more worker has tested positive Which makes a total of 28 positive cases But all but one of those 28 are among a group of 29 workers who travel together work together and live together on the farm The only other worker testing positive had close contact with that group, but lived in separate housing At this time no one is hospitalized Since we learned of the first case last weekend Our health department team has been working closely with the owners of the orchard the agency of agriculture the open door clinic And porter hospital and middlebury And the town of shawarma to see that the affected workers are well supported As you know the workers who tested positive Are in isolation meaning that they live together As a group in one housing unit and continue to work together as a group In the orchard separate from others as they have been done So long as they're feeling well Two other groups of workers Determined to be close contacts were quarantined This means they also live together and work together as a separate group All of them tested negative on day seven and they no longer need to quarantine In terms of supports workers will have access to paid sick leave Either through the family's first coronavirus relief fund or paid by the employer for those in quarantine or isolation The owners of the orchards State agencies and partners have been working together to make sure these workers have what they need Whether they're quarantining or isolating Right now the best solution for housing is on site But should the need change the state emergency operations center stands ready to provide alternative housing Also with funding from the state the orchard has been providing and will be purchasing food for the workers So they don't need to go into town to buy groceries Contact less thermometers And supplies of face masks have been masks have been delivered Plus a number of calling cards and cell phones So workers can use the what's app to enable workers to communicate with loved ones back home And if needed have telemedicine consults with the open door clinic We've made connections to make sure hospitals know there's coverage for all vermoners who are seeking tests and treatment for covid Regardless of their insurance status or immigration status Now for years we've had people living and working in vermont who are uninsured And because they are not citizens of the us do not qualify for medicaid And as I said, thankfully none of these workers are hospitalized now or in need of medical care at this time But there is assistance available if needed The health care system has not left these workers out in the cold They're essential to our economy and important members of our communities Some of the h2a workers employed at champlain orchards have actually worked in vermont for decades Free and referral clinics for the uninsured in vermont provide care for these individuals And hospitals have built programs that cover the care for those who do not have health care coverage With this pandemic There is now a federal program for health care providers and hospitals to submit claims for uninsured individuals Who require testing and treatment for covet 19? Providers can be reimbursed for the cost of delivering testing and treatment for covet 19 And they do not need to verify immigration status to be eligible to receive reimbursement Perhaps as testimony to the longevity of some of these workers coming back and forth to vermont The community that should be noted has also responded to their needs with generosity providing food and donations Finally the health department is conducting another round of testing at the orchard today And depending on results The orchard may be reopened to the public as early as saturday I'll turn it back to the governor Thank you. Commissioner Levine will now open it up to questions All right Thank you. Governor probably a question for doctoral dean doctoral dean the Experimental drugs that president trump is taking i'm wondering what what do we know about them and also I understand for janeron What we just wanted to know He says it should be free every american. Is is that feasible since i was still So president trump received a total of three Treatments that we're aware of I believe a general is a company But it's a antibody cocktail if you will Antibodies to the virus It's been involved in trials, which i'm told are promising though. I've not seen the data Uh, it may be within weeks of actually getting emergency use authorization, but it hasn't as of today And it was used in the president I won't say experimentally because there was some evidence that it could be successful but Unclear what the indicated audience is for it, you know, what course in the disease it's best applied What severity level of disease it's best provided? Certainly, I don't think it's been considered to be something that should be given en masse to a population Many of whom will actually get better without it and not require The second drug he received is remdesivir, which has been very effectively studied by now Over the course of these six months and does have play a role for sure And for mont hospitals have actually received shipments of that from the federal government over the last number of months Now the government is no longer providing it, but the hospitals can order it directly from the company Um, so that's becoming more of a standard of care in the hospitalized patient The third thing he received is a potent corticosteroid called dexamethasone The dexamethasone Is specifically listed for people at the more severe end of the illness range And generally those people are going to be in a hospital and perhaps even in the intensive care part of the hospital We have no notion of the parameters that his physicians use to determine he should receive that And generally when you receive that you're probably in the hospital for a while longer and as we're aware His hospital stay was rather truncated and he got that and then started to Go to the outpatient setting and kept taking it there So those are the three drugs And certainly the dexamethasone data is looking very good Uh for that again severe end of the spectrum Usually used to treat that inflammatory response of the body to the virus. It's not actually Eradicating the virus. It's treating the bodies Exuberant inflammatory response, which can make people very ill Are we using dexamethasone here in Milan? Yes And remdesivir And then just one question actually for secretary smith as well as to a child As you said, you know, we're not seeing cases and widespread outbreaks in schools Me and hearing we are able to close down some of these child care posts As I understand that a lot of the workers, um, they still have to stay on standby though just in case there Are black in schools I'm I'm wondering if the workers when they're on standby if they're allowed to return to their Normal everyday jobs or sort of what that golden period looks like to them Yeah, I don't know if I'm going to be able to answer your question precisely But just let me answer it broadly and we'll we'll go from there and maybe I can follow up with you on on the preciseness of Your question the the hub initiative focuses as you had mentioned on remote learning days when remote learning days When when there are remote learning days then the hubs sort of went into action I do want to mention Just so that everybody knows we have uh Stood up 40 school age child care hubs at 97 different locations Uh serving approximately 5,600 children our bogey was Um our revised bogey was 6,000 so we're almost there at the revised bogey but um As schools bring back children for in-person days We anticipate a as you had mentioned calvin a decrease in the need for school aged hubs um the team has surveyed active and Um And asked about the capacity To reopen again if there was a need to reopen in a month or two Because the school had closed or or gone to remote learning Um, we have heard back that almost all the hub partners and have a sense that they could reopen if they Uh, if they had to close and then a resurgent of covid Warranted an example. This might be an after-school program that operated a full-day program For remote learning and then could shift back to serving students after school So use those employees for after school Um an expanded after school program why we wait this out and see how it's going to go But potentially shift back to the full-day model If we needed to shift back to the full-day model DCF right now is talking with the hubs about space They've used and how to ensure that we will have availability if needed with this Sort of period as we're transitioning now Back and forth. We also continued to work with communities and partners where there is unmet needs There still may be needs that have been unmet and we may need to have hubs and employees At those those various hubs before and I and I said as I've said, I think at least two or three times The landscape isn't static out there. So As the school year unfolds and schools move towards more fewer More or fewer in person Days due to circumstances on the ground will be as flexible as possible. So There still is a need for these Hubs for maybe expanded after school programs and using them in that regard as we move forward But still is too early to sort of Claim victory and and shut down a system that I've just got to say this A remarkable effort to put up a system in about 30 days With all these hubs, you know In 30 days, there was like 30 some odd hubs at 70 locations a little past 30 days And there are now 40 hubs at 97 different locations serving, you know, 5600 people incredible effort But we're just going to have to be flexible as I said last time Steve Um So remind me what it is in the fall. It's not a stretch to imagine the possibilities from messages It's a maybe some of the more concerning areas trying to sneak up for day trips and that sort of thing wondering What the understanding that hotels and restaurants are in a dire need of business How closely is this state monitoring? People that might come in been not to quarantine by the state of our life, but do not and With that knowledge, what is I guess the state's approach to moving forward? Well, again, as I've acknowledged, we don't have a perfect perfect system out there But our modeling our travel guidance is fairly well known at this point if you're from our green county You're welcome to come to vermont without quarantining if you're from any other color You have to quarantine and uh, so our hope Again is that people adhere to the guidelines. I know the lodging industry has been a great partner in that respect and as well restaurants Taking down information making sure that they're keeping everyone distance properly and the reduced capacity has been beneficial for In terms of the positive case results But it hasn't been positive for their bottom line and and i'm Very concerned about the hospitality sector In general and that includes lodging Includes restaurants. I believe we're going to have to have more aid for them To make sure that they can survive Through this winter season because this has been more prolonged than anybody had anticipated But we're going to have to do everything we can as a state But as well we're going to need congress to take some action as well To provide more resources for these businesses because this is going to be a long winter for them And it's um future to your last point here It sounds like there might be a little more life breathing at least the possibility of the deal between white house and congress Um, are you continuing it to keep a close eye on that and you've heard 5,000 again or something? Yeah, I mean it's it's difficult to monitor what is happening what isn't happening in washington But we're hopeful and I know our congressional delegation I know central lehi's congressman welts senator sanders Are all working diligently To provide some relief to the states. We're all facing the same thing and we all need some help So i'm hopeful they'll come together whether it's before the election or after To come to to the aid of states Thank you All right, we'll go to the phones with ann wallace allen at bt digger Hi, this is a question. Um, I think for my carrington I'm still hearing from for monitors who are reporting an array of problems with their unemployment insurance And um, they're saying that they're still having trouble getting through on the call line Are you able to tell me about the call volume right now and how long the wait times are? Mr. Herrington Or i'm happy to With regards to our call center, i'm not aware of any issues there We have uh, I think close to a hundred agents at any given time Our call volume Depending on the day and the time for instance Monday and wednesdays are are high at times and can see Anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 Calls come in. Um, and then on other days We can have as low as 200 calls on a saturday to 500 to a thousand calls on on another day during the week So to my knowledge our wait times are still Under a minute in most cases That being said, uh, we did end up some other call centers for different grant programs And um, I know there have been uh, there have been other wait times, but to my knowledge there's nothing over 10 minutes in terms of a wait time So in terms of getting through, uh, we are not hearing issues that people are not able to get through And and we receive We receive communications on a regular basis. I will also say that our call center Allowed for a chat function as well. We were making some updates to the chat. So it's not on the Website currently, but it was up and has been up for months and we'll be going up next week again And uh, and then there are other methods as well So I've not heard of any connectivity issues, but certainly happy to connect with our Our contractor to make sure Okay, thanks, um and commissioner. I had one other question I know this one. It's hard to answer because um, it probably relies on another stimulus package being passed by congress But a lot of people are asking Um, what is going to happen After the the six weeks of 300 dollar payments over, um, there's you know, still thousands of people out of work And they're relying on unemployment. Is there anything you can tell them about? Whether there will be another unemployment insurance supplement, uh for sort of mid october and later in the fall If there's no stimulants packages or anything else that says that the state can do Well, um, so I would also just Reminds of that the people who are receiving the additional stimulus like the loss wage assistance program are also receiving unemployment insurance benefits. So The underlying benefit is still available for people People receive can receive up to 26 weeks of traditional unemployment. They Then move to 13 weeks of pandemic emergency unemployment compensation And then for monitor still in an extended benefit period and there's an additional 13 weeks That come with that extended benefit period In terms of pandemic unemployment assistance or pua That program runs to the end of the year You know, unfortunately, I I'm I don't know where the federal stimulus money will end up or Whether there's additional benefits that are going to come out, you know, that really all depends On how things shake out in the end But we are prepared that there there could be an additional You know, uh benefit like the 600 dollar benefits that came out originally Um, but right now To be honest that even the lwa benefits right now are paying for back week in August and early september. So there actually is no Current existing benefit additional benefit on top of just general unemployment insurance And certainly like you said that will really depend on on congress and the president So I don't I don't have an answer at this time Certainly, it's on the forefront of our minds for sure Okay, I was asking because the 600 additional benefit was an acknowledgement of sorts that the the base Unemployment benefit isn't really enough for people to live on sounds like Yeah, and the Vermont maximum benefit amount is 531 dollars per week based on someone's earnings or whether they are doing They are back to work part-time. They could Earn something less than that And so we do you know, certainly I recognize that that is not enough Especially for an individual or a family to live on And unfortunately, that's not how unemployment insurance was designed prior, you know Over the over the past decade It was meant to be a Support system but not a complete offset of someone's full wage And certainly recognize that you know, our our monters need as much support as we can afford them There isn't right now a mechanism for the state to pay anything on top of that. So it really depends on How How the federal stimulus package rolls out in the end and whether there'll be additional benefit through that package Thank you so much commissioners And just to run through that again, we had the 600 dollar extra assistance that was provided by congress and Then when that ran out, they weren't able to come to agreement In congress and then the president Put into effect the fema extra three hundred dollars That was three weeks and then there was an additional three weeks On top of that. But as you noted, that's running out as well We did take some action With 17 million Of federal money that we received with the with the work of the legislature to provide another hundred dollars, but that's Not enough either. So A bottom line is we need congress to come together with the administration to provide some more relief. We believe That's why I asked if there was some other way instead of waiting for congress to come up with another stimulus package because fema came up with that money Right. Um, we don't we don't have the capacity as as uh, I noted that was you know, we I had uh I had asked for 20 million. We received 17 million With a negotiation with the legislature, but that doesn't go very far I mean when you think about that's only a hundred dollars a week and that's going to run out in just a few short weeks So it's a lot of money That uh, it would have to be provided and we just simply don't have the resources to do that Thank you Lisa lumas valley news Hi, thanks for taking my column That's a record straight My question. I think it's for secretary curly a more long businesses that successfully completed the grant application through a ccd before applications were stopped What's the process for them to receive the funding? How long will they wait for that funding? do you know which which I'll let secretary curly answer the question, but which relief package were you? Were you pointing towards being one that came out in early summer and then Uh, I think it was july, maybe And the legislature when the legislature returns to the Possession changed some of the parameters and other businesses were allowed to apply And some businesses made it in before the cutoff And others did those who completed their applications making it in before the cutoff What's their timing on receiving funding? Uh secretary curly I'm assuming secretary curly's on but if not Lisa will get back to you on that. I know there's a number of different programs Okay, thank you very much. Wait a second. Sorry. Um, can you hear me? Yes, sorry Um, so lisa, I think what you're asking is is for employers to or businesses that have applied for the first on the grant funding Um, they they got an application in but the money ran out before they received any money any grant money You're wondering when when and how they might get money Out of the second round. Is that your question? My question is no businesses It didn't qualify for the first round because they didn't need the legislature Parameters the thing the legislature changed those parameters and a bunch of businesses applied again For businesses, okay applied in a time or fashion for that sex when the parameters change. What way can they expect release? Um, so for this so the parameters were changed for the second round of funding and that um, grant system is being Modified as you see so that we can serve the businesses that didn't qualify weren't eligible in the first round There were um, a variety of They might not have qualified for example, if they were not In business long enough or maybe they didn't meet the 50 percent threshold So those uh, so If they apply already in the first round and we're not deductible We're trying to determine whether they'll have to apply again But that system is not ready to step these applications and can to be reviewed at that point Or at this point So it's possible businesses that have applied will have to reapply. How will they be notified of that? Yeah, we would we would either send an email out or we will make sure that it's broadly made that may known The governor I would imagine would make an announcement when the systems are ready to go live But we're looking at probably the end of october as in earlier So we will we will make a point to be sure that that um made very apparent to the public All right, thank you very thanks jolly lukol 22 Hi governor scott. Um, I wanted to ask about governor wither um Have uh, have you Yourself seen an increased negativity or possible threats following lockdown restrictions over the past few months Uh, you mean here in vermont but um, we uh, we receive a variety of Different correspondence with people who aren't happy. Um, and I I don't believe we talk about that a whole lot, but I might refer to misha shirling for a better response than that Thank you governor. Uh, good morning folks. Um, generally, uh, there are threats made annually to elected and appointed officials We don't discuss the details of those threats or the threat posture Uh, I'm not familiar with any specific increase Uh in volume that relates to recent events specific to vermont And uh, I wanted to know have we been able to um Has governor scott been able to speak with governor whitner? Have not uh at this point in time. I mean this was unfolding over the last 24 to 48 hours and again We want to make sure that uh, they know we're thinking of them I think all governors the national governors association and others send their Best wishes and uh, I'm very happy that the law enforcement was able to intercede To uncover this plot. It seems as though after reading I did go through the affidavit and uh, it's uh, it's interesting what I mean, this was a real plan and uh for law enforcement the fbi and state officials To to embed the people into that organization And to thwart this plan was uh, was remarkable in some respects, but uh, again, this is a time for us all to take Take heed and uh, and to try and tamp down This rhetoric and the polarization that we're seeing throughout the country. This is this is unacceptable We should be We should be taking action uh through the the polls the ballot boxes Uh and not with violence Thank you so much Joe the barton chronicle Actually, I don't actually have a question, but I would like to congratulate Dr. Levine on the recognition he received On the vermont medical society. That's it for me Well, joe, maybe you could break that news. I hadn't heard about this recognition That the medical society found out a press release With more luck it'll be embarked Maybe he didn't even know about it joe, you just uh Yes, but that's fine. They've been centered and uh, he received recognition for his work. Uh, they also recognize dr. Fowler well both uh Well, thank you joe both well deserved Yes All right, Henry vpr Hi Sorry, can you hear me? Yeah, we certainly can Thank you. Uh, this is a question for dr. Levine. Um, according to the owner of champlain orchard As well as several current employees there the group of workers who arrived in mid september Who's been tested positive mostly for the coronavirus. Um, they went shopping at local stores the day after they arrived My understanding that's not against any guidelines But the dr. Levine was your department made aware of that shopping trip that you investigated this outbreak Um, I'll let dr. Levine answer that but from my recollection that was after the quarantine period that they went shopping But I'll let dr. Levine answer that Thank you. Um We have gotten various reports from concerned people About shopping visit Upon arrival to the state We did not get that report from the owner of the orchard or not believe and As of this morning because we've had a meeting already as we do every day about this My team is basically Standing by the fact that we are not aware of any shopping visit At the time they should have been quarantined on arrival And the only shopping visit we're aware of came after That period would have ended Okay, so the the owner of champlain orchard confirmed to vpr yet This group did go on a shopping trip the day after they got to vermont. Um Does that change your thinking at all in terms of considering that outbreak campaign? Um, actually not because as we've said regarding their shopping trip afterwards Um, the contact time they had and the number of people they came in contact with And buying the things they needed which were usually more for cooking Um Did not warrant any major alert for the community or concern on our on our part that there are Who needed to be quarantined in the community? And then just finally looking more broadly at the essential worker exemptions To some of the quarantine rules for out-of-state travel Um, given that workers are traveling to vermont's whether from out of the country to work on farms like in this case Or those that regularly cross the border from counties in other states that have higher case numbers To work in say manufacturing facilities, for example Did you have any concerns that this may lead to further infections in the states among specifically workers that are considered essential You know, we've been tracking this very very closely And we have very very few cases that are related to workers who have come in That are regarded as essential Whether they be coming in for Maintenance work on buildings or construction work on highways. What have you? So fortunately, uh, if we use our data, we don't have Significant numbers or or major outbreaks. I will say that Some sectors have taken their own precautions I'm aware of some of the hospital sector that has actually looked at the traveling nurse population And there was a point in time where many traveling nurses were coming from places like louisiana and mississippi Which were having very high rates of outbreaks And surges in their cases And they've on their own elected to do a day zero and day seven testing protocol For such workers Just to be as totally protected as they can be But as I said, the data hasn't supported A lot of infections being brought into the state through the essential workers to this point in time And the outbreak this week doesn't change your thinking on the guidelines that are in place for essential workers at all Well, I mean this this outbreak, you know had a quarantine associated with it. So We're we're very happy about that and and these if you will are more international travelers than Travelers within the country Thank you The department of corrections recently discussed in the state of new hampshire Moving our inmates from mississippi to a yearly empty prison in Haverhill, new hampshire, but decided against it. Why didn't that work out? Um, I am familiar with looking for different options From the facility in mississippi. I know that it was the haverhill one was an option But for whatever reason it did not work out. I think secretary smith can he answer that further? But it just didn't didn't fit Our needs at that point in time secretary smith Guy thank you No, thank you very much uh guy for the question we did look at haverhill mass. Excuse me haverhill new hampshire for um looking at various options at When we were looking Bringing prisoners Bringing inmates back to vermont the reason that it uh, haverhill didn't sort of meet the needs at the time And could still be a possibility in the future But we needed something more immediate is that they did not have the medical the medical sort of Programs that we needed did not have sort of the program That we needed within that facility general programs that we needed in that facility did not have the mat program that we needed in that facility so um to sort of Put all those programs into that facility Would have been um would have been time consuming and time that we didn't have and secondly It would have been um expensive to do that What were those programs The mat program is the um uh the treatment for those with um substance abuse issues The medical treatment is um the medical treatment that we provide to um inmates on a regular basis In accordance with the uh With the standards that we have and some of the programs that we have within the um The facility sexual offender programs those sort of things Thank you. Thank you Sure, uh governor we heard a lot about multiple COVID-19 diagnoses in the trump administration Have any exempt that is appointed Employees and officials in your administration been diagnosed with COVID-19? um Again, I can speak broadly. Um, not that I know of Obviously, there's there would be HIPAA regulations for Preventing me from disclosing them, but but i'm not aware of any at this point Would you Obviously you you couldn't share their names, of course, but would you know About them if they were there are diagnosis. They're a phone call. Yeah, I would know. Yes Okay, thank you Hey, Andrea seven days Hi, can you hear me? We can Great Uh, if you follow up on an earlier question curious about whether there has been any Kind of guidance from the fbi about ramping up security for governors in other states Following the michigan incident Um, again, I will probably let uh, commissioner shirling answer that but I would also say We have a very Good intelligence portion of our our state police law enforcement public safety here in the state um, and we work hand in hand with our federal partners in Performing some of those functions. So um, I think we are We do a pretty good job here of Maintaining oversight over any threats or anything that's going on in the state at this point in time uh, commissioner shirling Governor, I think that's a good overview. I would only add that we're in close contact with our federal partners on threat assessment Of every type from election security to uh, security protection, but we don't discuss the details of that Okay, um, great. Thanks. Um, and uh I have a second question. This one's for dr. Levine. Um, I know that, uh, nabada has Holted the use of rapid coviz test The antigen test in um nursing homes And i'm curious about whether the state would kind of At what point the state would consider that kind of move? um, or whether You know the the hon that went out the other week has sort of clarified things Mr. Levine Sure. Thank you for that question. Just so the broader audience has some context um There was a new york times article regarding The state of nabada who um We're using antigen tests Of the type that the government has been sending out to nursing homes around the country and because of um Unanticipated results will call that both in the false positive and the false negative side Has decided to halt the use of those in those facilities um We we stand very much by what's in the hon and um, and I urge people to read that new york times article Because it's essentially what we've been saying in vermont Historically and currently Regarding the antigen tests, but again, it's not saying We are not saying we should never use antigen tests um The article and what we've been saying is very good about pointing out that it's the clinical Circumstance that the test is used in That really counts and putting the thought behind that As opposed to just using them because they happen to be there and be available understanding The prevalence of virus in your own state and your communities And for bigger states, you know the regions of the state And understanding before you even Administer the test to one of the residents of a nursing home or to one of the staff of the nursing home What is the pre-test likelihood that that person would have a positive or negative test? If they're in a place that has very little coronavirus going on in the state It's going to be very low likelihood As we've said those settings are just microcosms of what the greater community looks like And if you came out with a positive test, you'd want to really question. Is that a true positive test or not because it would be unanticipated Likewise if you're in a place that's having a surge And you had a patient with symptoms in the nursing home and they came back negative You might say I wonder if that's really a true negative And maybe I should confirm that with a pcr To see if that patient really does have covet because it has such big implications about what I do With the staff and the residents of that nursing home and how I cohort them isolate them, etc So again, um, it's unfortunate. Nevada Had the experience that did and that's why we're being very very careful and deliberate about How we choose to use these As these machines start coming into the state But I will say what I've been saying for months now These tests do have a role And it's a matter of making sure that they Fill that role appropriately and not that they either just get used or not get used. It's got to be very thoughtful Enterprise Governor thinking again about the michigan situation, I won't re-ask the same questions that have been already asked But as vermont's Highest elected official and probably most publicly known official Will you get these types of things? I mean, do they scare you or frighten you personally? No, um, I think it's It disappoints me in a lot of respects. Um, that what we're seeing again across the country in terms of this polarization This rhetoric, uh, the lack of role models we have And it's just disappointing But for my own safety, I'm I feel I'm in good hands. I have a great deal of of respect and and For our law enforcement community and I I feel very well protected Okay, great and a simple But a follow-up question on a completely different topic. What do you think of the tone of the lieutenant governor's phrase? um Again, I I um, I personally I've run my campaigns differently than many throughout The last 20 years I try and talk about what I can bring to the table. I've never run a negative campaign in my life I've never sent any negative mailers. I've never done any of that But I've had plenty sent back to me Or against me. Um, so I've uh, I've seen that side of things And it isn't always effective. Sometimes it's effective. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't be using it. But uh, but again for the most part When you compare it to what we see on a on a national level I think it's uh, it's fairly tame Compared to what we're seeing again throughout the country, which is disappointing Okay, great. Thanks very much Eric the Times-Argus Yes, this is for Secretary French Uh, a month into the school year, what issues are schools still dealing with? What challenges are they facing? What kinks are they trying to work out if anti? Yeah, thanks, Eric. Um I think it's it's one thing to uh, you know the effort that we put into open schools is one activity But then to keep them open as a as a separate and that's where a lot of the effort is now It's not I don't want to think of it as sort of a linear progression Where it's sort of like we are reopened school mission accomplished and we move on It's a constant attention to those basic elements that we've gone over and over again about You know Washing your hands staying at home if you're sick and so forth that really allow us to continue. So Um, I know schools certainly, uh, you know, that's sort of the baseline assumption today that they have to maintain safe operations And that Requires continuous attention to those details But many now are are pivoting as we see it with more in-person instruction But really pointing their systems to start to address The impact of the emergency on students and that's that's where the work before us now lies and I think It's too soon to predict how success will be in that regard But I know the system is is quickly moving towards focusing on an important issue And there's broadband still a problem and then it can be done to try to address that Yeah, we still have many of the last mile issues that existed prior to the emergency still remain We've made some progress over the summer You know with with our efforts in some of the federal dollars We still have a lot more work to do as a state like I would argue is all rural states And it's going to require additional federal dollars to really to the tackle some of those more perennial Last mile issues in such a rural state look for mine. Thank you. Well, any TV? Oh, can you hear me? We can Uh, one for the governor and one for the doctor if I may um Governor oh, congratulations on your on your debate. Uh, well, when see Governor, uh Now that we know the risk and the And especially the risk to certain demographics of older folks and stuff like that Instead of waiting for you know, Washington to come up with some kind of a Solution Or or or higher payments or whatever Couldn't you just consider opening the spigot? a little more to let the economy get going again and and The people who you know who know know the risk like older folks would you know tend to Avoid places, you know that it would be a higher risk Well, you know, we've opened the spigot a great deal over the last few months. There's not too many Other opportunities to have significant Advantage in some respects and we we just recently went to a hundred percent in our lodging facilities We had campgrounds at a hundred percent Um, we had marinas and so forth at a hundred percent. We're back to manufacturing's a hundred percent construction a hundred percent Um, because this isn't that many other opportunities. We uh, the shorecomings are in the restaurants In particular, but what we're seeing uh, is that uh, regardless of what we do We opened up again lodging to a hundred percent And I I still go by some of the Hotels and hotels and see empty parking lots Because people just aren't traveling. We see this in the number of Of cars coming into the state as well as leaving. We see this in the amount of air traffic Right now. That's significantly down from where we were a year ago. So Regardless of what we do People just aren't traveling as much and uh, and unfortunately unfortunately We live in a beautiful state where tourism is really important to us. It's one of our largest sectors And that's having an effect on the hospitality sector in particular when you look at the unemployment numbers Most of that most of that Is connected to the hospitality sector, which is why I said earlier We need to help them. We need to help them survive in some way But just opening them up if we open it all up tomorrow I don't think that would help a lot because people just aren't traveling. They aren't utilizing they're not Um, they don't feel confident enough to to go out like they used to nor should Sure. And speaking of air travel, um With the uh, with the outbreak of workers from Jamaica Was uh, I'm sure they didn't travel up here on a private jet Was there contract tracing for all the folks who were Like exposed or on flights with uh, with these folks On their journey from Jamaica to uh, to shore Yeah, I'm I'm not sure of the details. I do know they flew into I believe JFK And then took a bus uh, a private bus. I believe To vermont at that point and then quarantine for 14 days. So adhering to the the guidance that we put into place, but Dr. Levine anything else to offer do you have another question for dr. Levine? I guess governor. Thank you. I may Let me just let me just finish up with that one quickly. Okay, Steve So whenever there is something like Cases people that have been on a plane There's a special cdc program electronic data system That this goes into so that you know, obviously our vermont contact tracers don't know Where these people are who were on the plane with them, etc Although i'm not aware that there were other passengers, but certainly there was crew And so There are mechanisms in place so that things that occur post travel can be traced back And if indeed anything needs to be done with people For contact tracing purposes or advice given to them that all actually gets initiated once we know about the first case So you can rest assured that People who need to know know Much has been made about about the president supposedly being reckless and whatnot Um yet on the other hand We see that the the governor of virginia who was an md. I believe himself Um had adhered to the strict protocols with the mass and everything else yet the governor of virginia himself came down with With covet How is there a way to explain something like that? Yeah, it's the fact that The virus is amongst us It's in the air we breathe and you can try to be as careful as you can be and hopefully do very well But there are going to be times that people contract the virus And won't even be able to determine how that happened So I don't know much about the circumstances of the governor of virginia in terms of uh, you know, what kind of Background History there was before he turned positive But you know, it can happen is all I can say Clearly with in the president's case I don't need to say much more. I mean there were there were many many instances that The public health community and the press have already raised regarding Um, not being as stringent with the basic routine guidance that we talk about Sure, um, and on a cdc's website um I was reading about the certifiers using their best medical judgment To determine whether reasonable degree of certainty In terms of like probable or presumed shouldn't be reported Um, yet they mentioned That the current estimates indicate 20 to 30 of the death certificates have issues With the completeness They're say that it doesn't mean they're inaccurate But the higher quality info say they say it can provide a better picture of what's happening And I guess they didn't start using Tests on all deaths until september 1st Um, if we've got an error rate of Of 20 to 30 percent On the death certificates Um, do you think that could contribute to uh To uh to higher or or inaccurate numbers of the uh, cova deaths Uh, perhaps nationwide If I could stand up for vermont for a second though, um Sure number one We have a uh, electronic death reporting system That has almost a tutorial associated with it And allows physicians to really understand how to fill a death certificate out Um, because it's something that's actually so important Not just for public health purposes But for all kinds of individual use purposes for the family of the decedent as well And uh, and for learning in the in the clinical community So it has a lot of purposes But the bottom line is I'd like to think that all of our clinical people are Well trained in using death certificates and filling them out in a comprehensive fashion Second point is that, uh, ever since I can remember way early in this pandemic Uh, our medical examiner's office Has been routinely Applying, uh, the cova test when it seems appropriate or whether it was no other explanation for The cause of death And many who, um Were, um In the position of filling out a death certificate Uh, often were able to obtain a specimen Um from the decedent So that that base would be covered more or less And that goes for many of our nursing home patients who have passed away Um, some of whom might not have been suspected to have had cova, uh, but were tested At the time of death So, um While they're probably, you know, this would lead to an underestimate nationally because as you're alluding to, uh People wouldn't be recognized as having cova it as part of the mix Um, I'd like to think in vermont. We're we're pretty strict about it and Have a pretty accurate assessment All right, great. Thank you very much My question is for dr We're looking at about ppb contamination at brooklynton high school How do you balance the medical risk? From ppb contamination with the academic social and emotional impact of students who are now learning entirely remotely Yeah, that's a question that's come off Come up a lot lately To be clear There are two types of medical risks People are focused very much on the cancer risk Uh, which does take much time to develop and, um Usually doesn't turn up right away And, uh, for which we are very strict and very conservative, I would say in vermont as we said our Detection levels But there are other risks that have to do with, uh, non-cancer, but still medical risks Some of them have to do with the immunologic immunologic system how we fight off infections Some have to do Mentally with the fetus With regard to neurologic development and behavioral development Some have to do with the endocrine glands like the thyroid or diabetes So there's a whole host of those and those generally do not take that same time frame to develop You know with cancer we call it a latency period you get exposed to something. Let's let's say tobacco Generally people don't die of lung cancer in the second year of smoking It's decades later because of that latency period Same thing, uh, can potentially occur with the pcb's so the non-medical risks the non Cancer risks occur much more quickly in time Second thing and, uh That's being raised is you know, uh, the other forms of health Of those who can no longer enter the building So they're emotional health. They're social development Those are, you know, they're mental health. Those are all very important. No one is minimizing those at all I do think it's a little bit of a false equation here to try to balance one versus the other and say Well, it's much worse Uh, if they got cancer, you know in 10 years But in the meantime, they could have been more successful in school if you'd let them in the school But you didn't let them in the building The good news here is that I know through the superintendent and other members of the academic community there That they're making very Honest efforts to try to find other solutions so that it won't have to be Permanently remote learning and I think that's very very important The other thing I think is important Is that it's not only the students who are in school There are staff who work there, whether they're in the cafeteria or custodial staff or administrative staff in the offices There are teachers who work there. There are instructors of other sorts Many of them aren't just in school for six to seven hours a day On the days that school is in session for a couple of years Many of them are there for eight or ten hours On aid service days as well as regular school days and for 20 or 30 years So we have to think about the risk to them as well And though we of course prioritize kids and kids health and we're always focused on The development of kids and we don't want to take the focus off of that We can't forget these other people either Does that answer your question It does and there's just a quick follow-up. You mentioned that some solutions that the school system was working on Has the state identified any force of action that will let's go at least risky parts of phs open again in the near future Um, maybe I'll ask secretary more if she's on the line Because that has more to do with the buildings themselves you're saying Secretary more on the line Did you want to repeat the question Avery? Please that would be helpful Sorry, I was muted there. Can you hear me now? Yes Yes Okay Has the state identified any force of action that will get the least risky portions of early high school open again in the near future We are continuing to work with the consultants That are that the high school has engaged to understand the The full scope of the issues that would need to be addressed in order for the school to reopen Does the school be closed as a result of indoor air quality concerns? But we're awaiting a full set of sample results not only from the the building materials that appear to be the source of the contamination but also Soils outside the building. So that is very much a working process. Thank you Erin You think that vermonter Can and maybe should do to prevent threats like the ones that occurred in michigan Could you repeat that Erin you're a little bit broken up? Can you hear me clearly now? Yes. Thank you. Okay, great Um, what what do you think vermonter should do to prevent threats like the one that occurred in michigan? Well, again, they didn't occur in michigan. Um, they Almost occurred. Right. Yeah. No, I mean, I'm just my point is law enforcement The fbi along with state police and so forth Were able to thwart that effort and uh, and I would maintain that I have a great deal of faith and trust and confidence in Our law enforcement here in vermont. I know they work diligently on issues like this trying to Maintain some sort of surveillance so to speak on on what's happening on social media but But and we need to continue that that's an ongoing effort A daily effort and I have again a great deal of respect for those who are doing just that But from each and every one of us has a responsibility to be vigilant To make sure that we're aware of what's going on Either what we see and report that But also, uh, it's just again, I want to stress Where we are today as a country Where we're so polarized. We're so divided We need to heal that and we do that By being better people by being better role models To to tamp down the rhetoric to trying to find ways to work together And and it doesn't mean that we don't disagree But it does mean that we do so civilly and respectfully There's a way to effect change and it's through again the ballot box or running for office or You know petitioning your government But it isn't through violence and that's something that we need to continue to be vigilant And and and that's uh, you know from my standpoint That's the line that's the line the sand and you don't cross that regardless of what your your displeasure Violence is unacceptable And just to be clear, uh, when you say they should report that, um, where how how can the law support Anything they might see or hear? Um, uh, commissioner shirling, uh, maybe you can answer that certainly, uh, it goes along the lines of the Uh posters and things you'll see everywhere around see something say something which will prevent violent acts from happening across an array of different concerns and you can call your local or state law enforcement. Uh, there are pipelines, uh, available But the the easiest call is just to call, uh, whichever law enforcement covers your area to report something specific Thank you I uh, I also have a question for a doctor would be to follow up on your comments about and agents that things, um Have at this point any agents that's actually been distributed? or I'm aware that several of our nursing homes have received, uh, the machines The platforms that those are done on that. I don't believe it's gone to all 35 or 37 of those nursing homes yet Is is that the You know intention, uh To get all of them That was the federal government's intention to provide it to the nursing homes all throughout the country um At our at this point in time We are actually, uh continuing to support those nursing homes with pcr testing Um, and we've just come out with renewed guidance, uh that Needed to be renewed because cms the centers for medicare and medicaid had come out with more guidance for nursing homes about reopening And facilitating visitation Much of it is through testing strategies. So we've already developed the testing strategies Uh for the nursing homes that we can work in concert with them on Through the end of this year So that uh, they don't need to use the antigen platform currently at this time I will also just add quickly that When and if we should use antigen testing in those settings Uh, and we've been very clear about this, um, they would have to be on a repetitive periodic basis Could not be just once a month. We're gonna do antigen tests on everyone in the nursing home It has to really be done at least weekly once or twice weekly With that kind of periodicity um to make the Reliability of the antigen test As high as it might be That's all i'll say for now Cat the bc as my question is likely for dan french I saw a letter from a school district to parents that warned parents that as we head into The winter season They might have to close schools on fort notice due to teachers calling out with cold life symptoms and not enough substitute teachers to replace them What is your agency doing to help districts prepare for this or to recruit more substitute teachers? Yeah, thanks, uh at the state level. We haven't been directly involved in helping districts with recruitment of additional substitutes But in terms of the communication, I would say I haven't seen it I think it just points as I've made the observation of schools The logistics involved in operating schools are, you know, fairly fragile if you will And the big part of logistics is staff availability Which will vary from district to district if not from school to school So it's important, you know, I think our biggest contribution to that was baking in by design A certain amount of flexibility into our state planning So we've essentially I think prepared districts and they've shown their ability To operate and what will be very dynamic conditions and they have the tools I think in our guidance to uh to make those decisions be very responsive to their changing conditions Do you think we have enough substitute teachers to meet school district needs this winter? No, uh, but I would say we didn't have enough subs prior to the emergency either It's been a perennial issue and more a function of our demographic challenges as a state And so then what would be your advice to districts who might grapple with this in the winter? Is it to use no-day protocol? Is it to use, uh, You know All remote learning what's what's the kind of the messaging to them? Well, we've as I mentioned, uh, we have regular weekly calls with the superintendents, uh, and you know They're very familiar at this point with the operationalizing the guidance that we've created So they they are very familiar with the ability to toggle between In-person remote and so forth and I expect, uh, you know That will be essentially the new normal for the rest of the school year, not just the winter In terms of recruitment, I know, you know, the superintendents of school districts have been very creative and how they recruit Certainly using different online platforms and and ads and so forth Also, I've seen an uptick in uh requests for the waiver of regulation for school board members themselves To serve as substitute teachers Typically school board members are prohibited from being regular employees of school districts But there's a mechanism in our regulation that allows for districts to request waivers So we've been expediting those waiver requests So we've had a lot of school board members step up and volunteer Or be interested in being subbed. So we're doing everything we can But i'm confident we have the plans in place to be as responsive as possible You're welcome Mike Donoghue, the islander Thank you for back, uh, uh, thank you governor Thank you for those words about the stability and compromise By the way, I did get my cool shot yesterday Great, congratulations When uh secretary print spoke earlier today and talked about kids going back to school And I think the phrase was while they still can What do you know that we don't as far as the likelihood of another shutdown In the coming months or of this school year? um I'm not aware of anything other than we don't you know, it's hard to determine what the virus is going to do We we're doing all we can to protect ourselves against the spread And we've done a pretty pretty good job of that thus far but uh, but again as we've seen on a national level and Sometimes it just takes a course of its own. I mean it's not something We we don't have a vaccine to prevent it at this point in time So I don't know if that's what the secretary french was talking about, but I'm going to let him answer that Thanks Mike. Uh, no the phrase I was using referred to uh maximizing in-person instruction Why the conditions remain as positive as they are um, and I I observed uh As we started our planning process in june many of the medical experts that we had brought in made the observation that You know really the conditions right now in june at the time were as best as they're going to be And that just really struck home to me and I think it resonates with a lot of educators as well We know just coming into the winter being inside more and so forth that the conditions are likely to get more challenging It wasn't really any commentary on On any prediction of where the virus will go per se, but we just know we're going to be operating in a more challenging environment And now's the time to try to do more as much in-person as we can And as a follow-up to what you said about sports earlier Um, I'm just wondering What is on the table and what kind of consecutions is the state looking to try to have To have some sort of sports this winter. I mean obviously in the fall Football went to seven on seven So what is the conversation to be able to have Some sort of basketball are you looking at on three on three or are you looking to have contest with just three point or three pro talent contest I use the phrase my comments about finding a path forward and I think I think that's an important Phrase because it acknowledges firstly that we're putting a priority on trying to make this happen if we can Um, but then you know, we walk through a risk assessment of the the specific sport Particularly as I mentioned indoor sports are more challenging. I think for us to Resolve the mitigation strategies that might be necessary I would say particularly with indoor sports What I've noticed is a pattern in those deliberations is a consideration of spectators the number of spectators in the facility and so forth Which presents a whole another level of challenge, but You know, I feel confident. We have a good decision-making process through that And as I mentioned, we'll we'll work through this try to find the path forward and the expectation That will publish guidance by the end of october if possible Variables being considered once again, we start with the assumption that we'd like to offer the sport And then we start to go through a risk assessment process to understand how we might mitigate the risks that are involved But we look at all aspects. I just use the example of spectators. It's just one of many variables that are being assessed But I guess I'm just wondering what are the alternatives? I know you go for risk assessments I mean, that's what we've been doing since mark on everything What are the alternatives? May see I think we just have to wait till the guidance comes out and we'll see see how we navigated those risks and the assessment Okay Thank you. Good afternoon, governor I guess in the spirit of the topic that mike was just on And in full disclosure, I have a personal interest in my question But it's big enough topic in the next area that I think it's worth asking Our region learned this week that the community ice arena would not be opening for the season through the covid related financial challenges And concerns about the viability of the upcoming hockey seasons This affects three high school teams. So large hockey program and countless community members First, uh, so the state has 75 thousand dollars and covid relief funds lying around And they want to come to the rescue And second is the state Doing enough to provide a community asset like recreational facilities cultural institutions nonprofits That are often volunteer run passion projects for the post the traditional businesses With the info assistance and financial support they might need to survive Yeah, obviously, uh, another concern for us so long with the hospitality sector Some of those community nonprofits and so forth. We have had resources available to them and have have actually Provided those resources to many of them, but it's we know it's not enough That's why I continue to say we could use some more help from from congress But but I in in direct response to your question I may ask secretary curly to respond as well, but but we will Go through the next uh month month and a half Or so and determine if there's any Money that hasn't been released that could be utilized for other purposes And hospitality is it's a sector that I think would want to concentrate on But we would consider other options as well So I I would say talk with Engaged with those at ACCV and and at least Be there as a a provision if we do have have excess funds available secretary curly Is there anything that you can add to that? Yeah, um, that's that's great governor. I I just want to mention that uh, You know specific to a hockey arena There are hockey arenas that are operating currently they're operating Very nicely within our guidelines We've provided a lot of guidance to them and help them through so if we can do that with the race that you're referring to We're happy to do that. We also um We do provide grants economic recovery grants to recreational non-profit A variety of folks so again if if you think your your race has suffered a lot or your you know Whatever may be a field or race an organization has suffered a lot that Uh, actually at this point our grant is usually before we need a 50% loss But um, certainly reach out to us because there are recovery grants We're about to launch our second round And we do want to help we know that this industry can get very hard the entertainment industry as the governor has mentioned hospitality So, um, we're prepared to continue to help folks with this the federal release money All right, who's that out? Thank you All right Liz Murray burlington pre-press Hi there. Can you guys hear me? We can Okay, thank you for taking my question. Um, I This could be either for the governor or dr. Levine or both. Um, I am I noticed that yesterday was the second time this week that we've seen positive case numbers Or in in the double digits yesterday There was a growth of 11 cases in vermont, which you know granted is smaller than The results that we thought earlier this week But um, I'm I'm wondering if this is indicative of a A greater trend that you're seeing or that we're expecting or indicative of what's to come Again, I think in some respects we've become accustomed to our low positivity rates We have two or three or four a day And that's been fairly normal and now that we get up Into the 10 11 12 ranges feels like that we're uh, you know, there's some growth there But but again is compared to other states that are seeing, uh, you know probably 10 20 30 times maybe a hundred times the number of cases we're seeing A day even per capita It pales in comparison. So I believe, you know, I have the same concerns. I watch the numbers every single day And but I look to see where they're coming from You know, the is it concentrated in one area? Do we have a problem that needs to be rectified? And we talk about this we have meetings At least three times a week on this with a team of advisors I have To to determine just those very questions, but again from my standpoint We have nothing to worry about at this point I have remained concerned about any elevation In the number of positive cases, but we're still the lowest We have the lowest number of positive cases per capita in the in the nation and we still enjoy that today Dr. Levine anything to Anything else Oh, sorry. I thought Dr. Levine was stepping up to the microphone I wanted to follow up, you know, just just at this point You know those the numbers are still low like he said But when When is the point where we start to get concerned or where you would start to get concerned about what you're seeing? I'll let Dr. Levine answer that Yeah, so for the first question I really don't have much to add to what the governor said For your latest question That's why we have our tuesday modeling sessions every week Because we have what commissioner paycheck terms the guard rails Know where we get really concerned. So whether it's The number of cases in aggregate whether it's the number of new cases Or the percent growth in new cases Whether it's the change in our percent positivity rate of our tests Whether it has to do with hospitalizations and aspects of the healthcare system Or whether it has to do with the syndromic surveillance the symptoms that people are having out in the community We look at all of those things amongst others And if there is a trend that's really adverse, obviously we're going to pick up on that very early And deliberate about how to manage that But we have not seen that at this point in time As my opening comments today alluded to We are seeing nationally and regionally increases That are concerning us and the increases we're seeing regionally Concern us more than the ones we're having within our borders But again, we have to watch both very carefully Thank you very much Liz are you still on Maybe just a message to Liz. I understand congratulations are in order Hopefully you haven't been socially distancing for the last week And possibly been in quarantine, but Liz got married last week Thank you governor, we had four people at our wedding Well, congratulations from all of us Thank you I guess governor just your reaction to The latest tactic by the protesters in Burlington to go to individual members of the City Council who didn't necessarily agree with Their issue that they have basically blocking off their street A couple hundred people coming in and shutting things down Is that is that acceptable? Is that too far? you know, it's About Peaceful protest, which it seemed appeared to be from my standpoint Yes, we all put ourselves in uncomfortable positions when we run for office Seemed to be somewhat civil But but the violence is the you know red line the sand And and I didn't see that so You know again uncomfortable, but But from what I've seen across the country It pales in comparison. I think it's more of a again a local issue And I know the city council will have to deal with it in any way that they think is necessary But but again, I'm I'm very thankful that it's uh remain peaceful over the last couple of months And Yeah, I mean admittedly the line is blurred. I mean you're affecting your neighbors As well as not just about you in particular It is your family as well as your your neighbors and so forth So, you know, the line is blurred a bit. I would just ask people to just be respectful and civil And do so in a manner that you can be a model for your kids and for others So we can tamp down this rhetoric and so forth So we just want to make sure that people are heard. Um, that's our Our constitutional right, but there's there's ways to do it and be respectful and civil at the same time That's it. All right. Thank you very much Is it Right Yeah, if you have uh, if dr. Levine has to leave in about two minutes, so if it's a question for him, why don't you fire away? Um, it's actually not uh, okay You're dismissed Go ahead We've talked about some issues in richford in the past and um, I just wanted to know if there was an update on How your administration was doing, uh, I know that the issues kind of settled down there for a while After the state moved a bunch of people out of the area And apparently the local hotel or motel is still back up again. There's some quality of life issues again I'm wondering if you could just fill us in on what your administration is working on Well, again, first of all, we're trying to provide for relief of those families who are displaced and in Need of our help and assistance and And I'll let secretary smith answer the ref Thank you. Greg is you perhaps know we We have not, uh placed any new clients in that motel in richford, uh, since uh, September 21st in fact, um, we are using fewer rooms And in fact, we've moved several Families to other locations in order to make sure That we're meeting the needs of the community At the same time as looking out for those that are homeless. So that's that's the status where we are Thanks for that update. I was not aware that there were not any new audience there Did I hear a rumor correctly that the administration or or someone from the administration Is going to be with local officials on coming up with a better long-term strategy Right, we have a deputy commissioner who's uh interim deputy commissioner who of uh of economic, um opportunity that will be Meeting with local officials. I don't know when it is. I think it's real It's it's shortly, but I don't know when it is Um, will that will that meeting be open to public or open to the media? I I don't know that greg Um, we'll get back to you on that Okay, thank you With that we'll see you on Tuesday. Thank you very much