 Good morning, everyone. We'll begin today with an update from Dr. Levine Good morning, everyone. I'd like you to refer to my little placard here Just to give you the beginning of the update each bar represents Accumulative number of cases on a given day during this past month the blue portion of the bar represents the newest cases Just eyeballing this everyone can see that this does not represent linear growth This is termed exponential growth And we don't yet know what the days to come hold, but we can anticipate that everything will get higher. I want to remind you that it was only two weeks ago We had one case in Vermont We have in excess of 100 now 123 to be exact The last day on this graph is the 23rd But in my hand I have the most updated data which came after midnight last night and there's now 123 and The blue portion is 28 new cases The appearance of the graph is more important than the numbers The other perspective is that It's only been about two weeks that we've been involved with coronavirus at this level in Vermont And in that period of time We've experienced now eight deaths Six of the deaths are associated with the outbreak at the Burlington rehabilitation facility and to be fair These are every single one a tragedy in itself But most of the deaths there were in individuals who were Very medically complex may have had advanced dementia and did not have Goals of care that were going to indicate they would be going to a hospital for full resuscitative efforts Nonetheless Were it not for coronavirus? They would still be with us Two of the deaths out of the eight We're not involved with that facility, but we're still What we're finding are characteristic of the impact of this virus worldwide and nationwide affecting those who are older and who have other compromising conditions So I'm very concerned about the slope of that curve and very concerned in our small state about the number of deaths we've had if you begin to look at the experience Regarding deaths around the world you'll find that in The countries that have been hardest hit Which would include Italy and Spain? The lines are pretty Vertical in this direction that indicates a Rate of doubling of death every couple of days in those countries There are now states in the United States that show the same trend Our neighbor, New York, New Jersey most recently Louisiana was added to that Louisiana two weeks ago had its first case It's seven times the size of Vermont population-wise, but it now has 1,000 cases and Their death rate as I mentioned is accelerating Very rapidly with a doubling time over a few days The state of Washington which we've sort of used as our index case if you will has a much more Diagonal slope still not wonderful, but the death rate doubling there every week So we in Vermont, I'm giving you this for perspective want to make sure That we've caught this exponential growth in terms of the number of cases Looking into the future at the right time and that we don't mirror some of those death rate curves where things are definitely getting very rapid and concerning So this is why I view this is the perfect time For the governor's latest mitigation strategy and his emergency order that will be talked about further in this conference I wanted to talk a little bit about expectations though now that we are implementing The stay home stay safe policy What will happen what we might expect Many press conferences we've given you the sort of 80 percent rule and the 80 percent rule is still true That 80 percent of those who get this virus are not going to be hospitalized not going to be an ICU Certainly going to remain alive and may have a mild to moderate illness that they can weather out at home Isolated in the setting of a large-scale outbreak as we're seeing in a number of other states and countries You have to realize also though that not everyone is going to be immune in that 80 percent category And there will be some people who are in the 20 to 40 or 50 age group who may get sick much sicker than We would have advertised so to speak And we're finding worldwide That some of the deaths fall in those categories too So i'm not saying this to be scaring anybody but at the same time we have to be realistic that in large-scale outbreaks of disease If you have a hundred thousand people that are sick 20 of them may be Younger that are hospitalized Just because of the sheer numbers But we still know that the likelihood of a very bad outcome in people who are younger Is very very low But that the likelihood of the bad outcome as you get into 70s and 80s and above Becomes much much much higher We know this is going to be a great hardship for people We know this is unprecedented But we also know this is really scientifically sound But hard And we know that Assessing the magnitude of the impact is challenging. This is a major lifestyle change for all of us to experience But one thing we do know and that's the magnitude of the impact if nothing is done And I can assure you that the impact of what we're going to do Will lead to a far more favorable end result than if we had done nothing at all Everyone in the country is asking how long do these things have to go on for Is two weeks enough will we be open by Easter? Is three weeks enough Should it be three months? I wish I had the very crystal crystal clear answers for you But we don't have those answers Not as a national community or a global community And we are learning all the time We do know that we really do want to make sure that we Suppress the virus to the point where not as many will be ill And not as many will be in the position of potentially overwhelming our health care system and its resources And those are the goals that we have Not that we will prevent everyone from getting this virus ever in their lifetime That's not how it will work So although there are questions We need to realize that we need to all be in All in It's helpful as we see other states Joining this effort that we will have more of a regionally and maybe even nationally coherent Community kind of response to this Which has worked well in other nations We need to Continue to learn from other countries And almost feel grateful for the fact that the united states came a little later in the game for coronavirus And on a statewide basis states are having activity at different levels So as we go through this period of time That uh, we say stay home and stay safe We will actually be able to benefit from studying our own statistics as we will every day But studying the statistics we find in the world Where various strategies are being tried for various durations of time It's become an expectation in the scientific community that we will Flatten that curve as we've talked about before And then there will be a period of time where we hopefully will have suppressed the viral activity in the community But that it may resurface again whether that's Two months later whether that's six months or a year later. It's really unclear But the population at that time will have much more immunity amongst itself It'll be harder to pass the virus for one person to one person because many will have already been exposed and have some immunity And we will be able to get on top of that with more traditional Case tracing and testing and isolation methods Much faster than the country did originally and that will be a very good thing for us all So in summary The strategy is a wise one. It's scientifically sound. It has some elements of Mystery to it in terms of not being able to tell you exactly what will happen on a given day and when But it will work And it will work best if we take and it takes a village mentality to this and work all together Thank you Thank you, dr. Levine I know these are not easy times There's a lot of economic uncertainty and much concern about the health of vermonas due to the covet 19 pandemic I share the concern in both of these areas As we look at the challenges ahead public safety must come first Which is why yesterday I issued the stay at home stay safe order Around the country and here in vermont we've seen an increasing number of cases which continues to grow This is not unexpected And while each and every step we've taken is needed They have been difficult decisions to make and this is a responsibility. I do not take lightly But here's what I need vermonas to know and this is what I need from them I need you to stay home Doing so will save lives. It's just that simple That doesn't mean you can't go out for your essential needs or take your dog for a walk Or take your cross-country skis out. Just keep your distance from others while doing so We must all do our part to slow the spread of this deadly virus And protect the vulnerable which includes the elderly and those with underlying chronic conditions We must also do this to prevent the health care system from being overwhelmed Which is important to the health and safety of all vermonas I fully recognize The emotional Financial and economic impact this order will have But based on the best science and the guidance of our health commissioner and the epi team Each of the actions we've taken are absolutely necessary And it's possible As a forewarning more may be needed With the order I signed beginning at 5 p.m. Today for vermonas need to stay home as much as possible We understand their basic needs So you can leave for essential things like going to the grocery store or the pharmacy Or to seek medical care Or as I said earlier just to get out and get some fresh air or some exercise But when doing so it's important to keep about six feet from others Wash your hands a lot And cough or sneeze into your elbow And if you're unsure about something whether you should be doing it or not Air on the side of public health and stay home This order also directs businesses and nonprofits to suspend all in person business operations to be clear This is on top of the closures. I've already directed In a requirement that anyone who can work from home Should do so These steps are important to slow the spread of this virus But I understand there there are also things for monitors a need in order to stay healthy and safe And to keep the state running So we included some exemptions for businesses that are critical to public health and safety And to economic and national security Like health care options and operations And things like grocery stores and pharmacies gas stations hardware stores critical manufacturing sectors news media operations Those that serve vulnerable populations as well as services needed to maintain critical infrastructure and transportation These groups should be implementing the work from home policies. I directed earlier this week Wherever possible And making sure their social distancing Constantly cleaning and employees are washing their hands once again a lot Vermont small business owners have shown great creativity and flexibility So services can be offered online Or an employer can get products to customers with curbside pickup or delivery where contact can be avoided That can continue Secretary Curley will talk about how businesses can determine what's acceptable under this provision Now I understand there's a lot to absorb here And there's going to be a lot of confusion And there are going to be many different scenarios where businesses and employees are going to have a lot of questions We'll work through these together But Everyone should be airing on the side of public health We need people to keep their distance from each other Which is why this order is the strongest one of the strongest in the nation Just to put this into perspective for those that may think we're going too far This virus is spreading quickly It may not have affected you yet But all too soon Many of us will know someone personally And then it will start to feel very real This is why we're asking our businesses to think beyond the next month We all care about the health of our employees family and friends The steps we're taking today are all about protecting our loved ones So we can come out of this as strong as possible Today we'll also be announcing that in coordination with amtrak and partner states Vermont will suspend all amtrak service beginning tomorrow More information will be coming out later today Additionally Due to the recent snowstorm and the accumulation we received And in consultation with vast They have agreed to close its trail network for the season beginning today It's important to remember If we follow the stay at home measures closely We can get through this quicker and more safely And get on with our daily lives And then We can get our economy moving again Now I have tremendous faith in verminers And our ability to follow this order to save lives And to support each other in this time of need Now is a moment of service for all of us It's our turn to face a once in a century challenge But I know verminers are up for it because we're Vermont strong We'll get through this But we'll do it together So I'll now turn it over to Lindsay Curley our secretary of commerce and community development Thank you governor Good morning I'd like to start by saying that we at the agency of commerce and community development Fully recognize how hard the last few weeks have been on our businesses employees And all verminers We hear you and we will continue to keep you informed with daily updates and guidance and provide answers to your questions We'll continue that effort each and every day moving forward Knowing full well that the days and the weeks ahead will bring more pressure to the economic vitality Of our business and people I want to stress The best thing we can do for our business community is to get through this crisis quickly And that can only happen if we are putting our health and the safety of verminers first That means making some tough decisions and complying with this executive order as strictly as possible These are difficult steps to take But we believe these measures will slow the spread Flatten the curve and save lives and ultimately it will allow verminers to get back to business faster I want to clarify what this order means the governor has Directed all in-person business operations to suspend Unless you are deemed essential to the covet 19 response Or national security This means companies that can move all or part of their businesses to remote operations Can continue to operate those parts of their business Businesses that cannot transition functions to remote operations shall suspend those functions Businesses can make their case to accd Using an online form as to why their in-person functions should be considered essential to the response or national security There has been some confusion about the word essential The definition of essential is only pertinent if your business operations require in-person transactions As for restaurants this order does not change the directive the governor has already given You may continue to provide takeout curbside and delivery We know there are a lot of businesses out there looking for clarity The accd is working as I speak to address and develop guidance Around those inbound questions We will be responding to each and every single request that comes through our online form Filling that form out is the best way to get in the queue Please refrain from reaching out to individuals at the agency directly as it's important For the flow of our work to stay organized The form can be found on the accd website, which is accd.vermont.gov Our team will also be posting guidance today. This will help clarify many of the questions But again, if there is more clarity needed or you want to make a business case for why your in-person business is essential Please go to our website and fill out that form. The form is called the continuation of operations form We are also working to keep Vermont businesses informed of the latest developments as they happen And we hope any business will first visit our website Which is updated daily and also sign up for our newsletter, which will put the information that you need into your inbox daily Again, we know this is creating incredible challenges for business owners and the vermoners who they employ But we also recognize the public health crisis that we are facing and we must take these measures To ensure that the Vermont economy emerges emerges from this Now i'd like to turn it over to congressman welch who will be giving an update on behalf of vermont's congressional delegation congressman Thank you very much secretary curly and uh, thank you governor very much for your strong leadership We have one mission and that mission is to protect the public health and to restore the economy Protect the public health And restore the economy And the approach the governor outlined Is it doing more now? Is far preferable to doing more later The approach we have to take in order to save the economy Is air on the side of doing too much too soon Rather than doing too little too late And to be successful all of us have to be in this together as governor scott said Each of us as citizens To care for the people we love And the neighbors we value and respect have to keep our social distance have to wash our hands have to subscribe to the public health advice we're getting Your state government Works for you for all of vermoners And your federal government works for you All vermoners And we have to work in coordination In order to be successful In achieving those goals of protecting the public health and reviving the economy Governor scott has the responsibility Of making the decisions about what are those steps to protect public health His partners in washington Senator lehi senator sanders and me have the responsibility to work with the governor and vermoners To take the economic steps that are going to help us get through this and get to the other side There's really a divisional labor But there's a single single mission There have been three bills that have been the two bills that have been passed and one that is now being considered the first bill When this started was eight point three billion dollars And that was a big number back then And it was to get some money to our front line providers And it was to provide for some increased unemployment Insurance and that's been helpful The second bill that we passed recently Was a hundred billion dollars for increased unemployment It was also to assist our healthcare providers with Medicaid reimbursement And supplemental nutrition for our kids who weren't going to school but are still getting their meals And seniors who depend on these meals Now the third bill is right now being negotiated With senator lehi taking a lead in the senate And senator lehi's state director john tracy is here joining us. Thank you john for being here This is extraordinary It is a two trillion dollar economic aid package That is necessary And there are many details to be worked out But the contours give me some real optimism that republicans and democrats are going to come together To get that aid back to individuals to small businesses and to our states and let me outline What the contours of that bill are that would make a big difference to us here in vermont One for individuals We're going to change the unemployment Schedule right now The top of mind you can get an unemployment is a little over 500 dollars. Yeah, right governor We would add 600 dollars to that that would be at no expense to the state And no damage to the employer For the additional claim That would last for four months at least So individuals would be able to get up to 1,100 bucks or more For four months because they have had to comply with the social distancing Decisions that was being made Second that unemployment is going to apply not just to folks who are getting a weekly paycheck But to individuals who are self-employed based on their last year's income And also independent contractors, you know the uber drivers the folks in the gig economy Our employment unemployment system has not helped them in the past. It has to help them this time So that is something that there's a very good Likelihood we'll get that with the agreement between republicans and democrats Next Small business We know that in this state many many people most of us work for small businesses And those businesses are like family And they want to keep folks on but they have no revenue coming in So there is going to be roughly 400 billion dollars in emergency grants loans and loan forgiveness It can be applied to rents and mortgages utilities It can provide a retention tax credit for employers who want to keep their employees on And pay 80 of what their wages have been So the goal here is to help the small businesses through this time when the lights are off So that when the lights go back on they're still in a position to get back to business and get folks back to work The Hospitals is another component Our hospitals have taken a huge revenue hit because they've had to stop elective surgeries That is generally the difference between red ink and black ink for all of our hospitals that are vital to addressing this challenge, but also to The economic health and well-being of our citizens There's a hundred billion dollar fund Most of us believe that should be a down payment because our hospitals are going to need more And then finally there's state aid As the governor has explained the revenue impact of vermont into other states as a result of responding to this is immense And it hits on two sides the revenue side, which is down and the expense side, which is up And we believe that it should be the responsibility of the federal government to be The one that bears the burden and not transferred to the state or to the local taxpayer So in the current legislation Where there appears to be significant progress in the senate and uh, again, thank you senator lehi For his leading role on the appropriations committee as its lead negotiator. We're focusing on small business We're focusing on aid to the state of vermont We're focusing on aid to individuals And we're focusing on aid to the hospitals We're only beginning What we have to never stop doing is working together The federal government has to be a partner hand in hand with the state And both of us the state and federal government have to be working for you For individuals who ultimately are bearing the burden of the challenge that we face I can speak. I know for our congressional delegation Bernie patrick and I will be here will be here for you governor scott And work together every single day in every way we can to help us get through this. Thank you Thank you very much congressman welch. We uh, we are very fortunate here in vermont to have a strong congressional delegation Is working on the behalf of all vermonters I will say senator Lehi had called me Not not long after 7 a.m. This morning when I was at the office and uh, he had had a late night Going past 1 a.m. But he wanted to call and let me know that they've passed something or agreed on something So to give us some comfort. So I appreciate that With that, um, we'll open it up for questions We'll move on to shawn cunningham the chester telegraph On monday it was announced that the national guard would be rolling out surge medical centers And that the first three of these are in the northern part of the state. Could you speak to the administration's plan? For such facilities in the south particularly how many what you're looking for in terms of facilities And uh, when those would be expected to be online Yeah, I'll have commissure. Sure. I'll Respond to that one Great question. Uh, we're working closely with the hospitals hospital association to Deploy surge plans statewide. We don't have the specifics of the southern Surge plan at this point, but we're preparing multiple layers Of surge capacity. So what you're seeing is the very first layer of a multi-layered strategy that'll be deployed Over the next couple of weeks As more information becomes available, we'll certainly share that And uh, you know of note, um The clinical Guidance that we get relative to what's needed in those sites is one of the most important things So as this evolves and more information becomes available The physicians in the hospitals help to determine Where the sites go and the types of sites that get deployed And wallace allen from vt digger Star six to unmute and Yes Are there any penalties for businesses that fail that are not essential? Yeah, I think we'll go back to uh, commissioner shirling As the governors indicated on a number of occasions where montres are really coming together to To heed the orders that have been Issued to date. We expect the same will happen With this additional order that was issued yesterday. We're about to issue guidance to municipalities and law enforcement organizations With suggested guidance on enforcement and that really will take the form initially Of education and voluntary compliance. We really think this is a largely a self-regulating event But there are potentials for penalties if you violate an executive order And there are additional things that could happen. For example, if a restaurant opened There are health department implications and other licensing implications that could be at risk for putting the public health at risk But really we do believe that education And voluntary compliance is the key as brahmaners come together during this difficult time I also want to I also want to say that we've had a great response from brahmaners on this on the first round many of the bars and restaurants and so forth that that had to to close And it was difficult for them But they really have used their creativity and imagine imagination And had done so willingly understanding the mission that we're we're facing All right, keith wickham of the rotelyn harold and times argus Yes I'm wondering what if anything you can do to place like possibly a moratorium on Like evictions because i'm i'm thinking you know people are at home. They can't make money, but they still have bills to pay Yeah, i'm wondering if there's anything along those lines. Yes. Yes. Thank you very much and uh, yes We will you can expect something Over the next day or so giving some guidance on that. We're working amongst ourselves with a with the legislative Legislator as well in this process, but we'll um We'll you can expect something in the next day or so on that issue Okay, call in flander seven days Thank you. So uh governor i have a question for you. Uh, can you just speak to what you're hearing come out of the way? How specifically i think as um, dr. Levine alluded to the we will be up and running by easter. Um, you just give us your thoughts about that um Yeah, I can only tell you uh from my standpoint. Um, I think that is uh A bit over optimistic to say the least, uh, you know, this is going to take Weeks and months, uh, and this is going to be difficult So, um, we'll let the science and the data drive our decision making and we'll do what's appropriate for vermont But in my personal view, uh, this is going to take uh take longer than easter uh to overcome All right, we'll take one from On site stewart We noticed uh, there are quite a few police cars out about now. I don't know if that's because regular workflows have changed But will you stop people? Uh to check on their activities when they travel or are out and about You have seen an increase in visibility of law enforcement. That's by design. Uh, during this time Uh, the presence of someone out and about does not create the lawful ability to create a stop Whether that's on a in a motor vehicle or a person walking Because there are legitimate reasons for people to be moving around So that will also be part of the guidance we issue to municipalities and law enforcement organizations All right, we're going to go calvin in the room So probably our question for uh, sure, sir. So, um, what circumstances would uh, allow the police to stop Somebody if they were out and about and also, uh for the governor, what is the um, the penalty for Uh relative to folks that are out and about the the The criminal overlay hasn't changed so the law enforcement officer would have to have reasonable grounds to believe that person committed a crime Being out and about does not create a direct nexus to a violation of uh Of the executive order so the two things don't directly connect you'd have to have something else In terms of the second part of the question, uh, we're still working under the the model of encouragement and education We have seen no abuse of that thus far We're going to continue down that path until we find it necessary to do otherwise, but uh, but again encouragement education Our monitors will do the right thing, uh, as long as they understand what the issue is and that's why we've been trying to To provide that that, uh, education ourselves as to the magnitude of the issue that we're facing All right, Liam from vpr Thanks for taking my question You mentioned that you might be considering More stringent measures and you also said this was one of the strongest Say of the borders of the nation So i'm wondering what a stronger measure might look like and what would the situation be that you would deem it necessary Yeah, you know, when you when you take a look at other countries, uh, some of their measures have been far more extreme And i'm not contemplating. I don't want to Put fear into the general public But but if we see the numbers continue to increase And then we're not bending that curve now and remember Bending the curve is not instantaneous We're not going to see as a result of the actions we're taking today. We took last week Bending the curve overnight It's going to take a little bit of time for that to happen. So We'll watch the trends will still continue to rely on the best science. We have available available to us From our from our epi team as well as dr. Levine And then we'll continue to make changes as we see necessary We are in hopes that this will Have the effect that we that that we are is going to be provided But if it does not I'm just want to form war on everyone Not to give any false hope Because what we need to do is make sure that we're all doing what we can individually Collectively in order to bend this curve and to prevent our our health care system from being overwhelmed And so that's that's it. I mean again everything that I outlined in my initial remarks will be helpful But if we see that there's there's no change or it's it's getting worse Then we have to take more measures So we'll go back to ann galloway from vt digger. Hi, can you hear me? Okay? Yes Oh good. Thank you I wonder if you want to give us an update on hospital readiness How many ventilators do we have? I see you've been sent How is the ppe situation coming along with any additional surge facilities that might be Start up in the next few days Yeah, I'll let dr. Levine answer at this point or okay, man. Sorry secretary smith And this is uh mike smith just to give you some as of today bed hospital bed Capability of 575 Uh total beds ventilators is 163 mass in 95 mass or 78,000 surgical mass or 88,000 I do want to say this we have uh 19 people Inpatient with covet 19 in our various hospitals across the state. We have 17 That are are waiting and have are Suspected of having uh covet 19 but are not Have not Had that Patient I I get the the term is patients under investigation Right now And I want to be I want to talk about surge a little bit This is not these these numbers I gave you are not enough As we're looking at the surge here And looking at what we're looking what dr. Levine showed on his charts I think at a minimum we've got to double all the numbers I just gave you in terms of Ventilators beds available Those sort of things as we sort of look at where these trend lines are going So as we talk about surge capacity And the commissioner surely can talk about that in terms of setting up these additional sites We also have to look creatively and layer our planning for For worse case for better case for best case But we need to start planning for a minimum of doubling What what I just told you All right, Brittany Sure As we mentioned earlier the the surge site build out is is happening and planning continues for that multi layer In addition, we're sourcing both ventilators and PPE Important to note that the hospitals and health care facilities have their own supply chains They're accelerating those supply chains as fast as possible The state is helping to supplement those supply chains We've bought millions of dollars in ventilators over the last few days We have 202 that are inbound to vermont the timelines for delivery aren't known yet But we're buying them as fast as possible the same with PPE As many as we can find We are buying folks have been asking how many do we need the answer is as many as we can get a hold of So we're buying them as fast as possible I'd also add In terms of the surge capacity we did hear a report of those three sites being set up by the national guard As a reminder the site at uvm or in burlington Is 150 50 at in berry and 50 and st. Albin. So there's There's 250 right there. So with the other eight sites that we've identified We should be we will meet the capacity that we need All right, brittany from local 22 I'm really glad you asked me that so we can advertise what you just said Because it's a very recent finding That it appears that one of the early symptoms before you even feel sick is lack of a sense of smell This is so early that I can't say it's been confirmed by multiple investigators But I think it's worthy of note And people should think about it if that happens to them that perhaps it's an early sign of coronavirus I've not heard anyone in vermont who's mentioned that as their chief complaint But i'm not aware of everyone who's had a chief complaint of vermont. So they may have had that All right, michelle munroe st. Albans messenger Michelle star six All right, andrew mcgregor caledonia record Yeah, thank you You just mentioned And I got up guys need for for wanting to double number fed insulators from all the ppd Is that based on Updated projections you're working from and do those projections have top line numbers and and the time frame about when you need that capacity by We're working on projections that are updated daily based upon what we are seeing on a daily basis here Right now. We're looking at at a minimum as I said a thousand beds At a minimum doubling everything that I had just told you We'll update that on a daily basis as we move forward And I think that is the best guidance we can give right at the moment But as I said, there's a team that's working on this right now and every day these numbers are updated But I wanted to be As transparent as possible This is not the numbers i'm giving you are not the numbers that we're thinking Are going to be the final numbers that we're going to need Like I said, double them at a minimum and for timeline I think the governor said it well. This is not weeks. Um, this is We're talking uh multiple months that we're talking going through this This crisis Again, I would uh, I would offer that that part of our mission Is to make sure that we don't have this surge and overwhelm the existing Facilities that we have today If we can do this it might string it out a little bit longer, but we'll prevent The health care system from being overwhelmed and that's our that's our goal Uh, the county courier anybody on the line from the county courier Yeah, can you hear me? Yes? Governor, um, I'm wondering what uh, what you saw take place In order to uh change from a uh Basically avoid contact order to a stay-at-home order And uh, I'm also wondering when you guys expect the cases to peak in for months Um, I can answer part of that then I'm going to have dr. Levine Speak to more more of that specifically But if you look at his chart some of what the information that they were Keeping track of let us to believe that we should take more further action and like I said all along Based on the science and the advice from our from our experts dr. Levine and our epi team We came to the conclusion that this is the right time to do this to get ahead of it So that's why we made the decision that we did In terms of when we're going to crest so to speak It's very difficult to define. We don't know at this point. That's why we're taking the steps we're taking And hopefully we can get ahead of this so that we can crest earlier rather than than later and and not to the extent that We've seen in other countries, but I'll ask dr. Levine to comment further It again goes back to the frequently used analogy of Knowing where the puck is going to be rather than where it is now and trying to anticipate that And knowing what the exponential rates have been doing. This seems to be the appropriate time It was great that we already had so many strategies in place. These are called mitigation intervention community strategies This is now The more culmination of those strategies Again trying to do everything the governor just commented on We've heard a little from secretary smith about the modeling that we have as well And the only thing I want to say about that is now that we have exceeded 100 cases We have a much more if you will robust number of cases The ability of the modeling to be more predictive in a more precise fashion Is enhanced So we will learn a lot from that as we go along But most modeling whether it's even in vermont or another state at this time Is looking at a period of weeks for the peak if you will so whether that's two weeks Whether that's five weeks or somewhere in between That's where people are thinking that will occur And I think intervening at this time will certainly help us a lot Chris Roy star six Yes Yes, I've seen some people who have been tested positive for but there's some being released in the community Why is that and once it stops them from that going potting every day life instead of just going home I think I believe the question I'm going to let dr. Levine answer this But there are some who have tested positive and and have been advised to stay home to treat this Not everyone needs to be in the hospital and and I think dr. Levine could answer Further on that I think the question was are there if there are people out and about who have COVID-19 and are not self isolating right so again To our credit. This is not a police state. So I'm not sure we know that information We know that we have been in contact with anyone with a positive test And that they've been instructed appropriately And even beyond that their contacts have been instructed appropriately So the hope would be that anyone who had been symptomatic tested and knows they're positive Or had a high probability of being positive even if they weren't tested But we're told by their clinician that they had an illness compatible with this have been doing the appropriate thing and staying if you will out of circulation We have to recognize that part of the success of the virus Is its ability in some proportion and maybe a small portion of the population To be existing in a stage that it's contagious But where the person has no symptoms and doesn't walk around knowing that they're ill And that's how indeed a lot of community transmission which we're seeing in vermont occurs And just to further that and dr. Levine can correct me if i'm I'm not stating this correctly, but as soon as someone is tested their advice to isolate is to stay home And not go out in the community So if we're seeing that we should know about it, but at this point in time We've seen that vermonters are complying with that order All right last question lola from digger Star six. Yes. Yes, we can hear you lola Great. Um, so I wanted to talk about uh, child care for such a worker. Um, guidance went out to superintendents today that makes it seem like The whole district providing this is now basically voluntary given yesterday's executive order Is that correct and so What's our capacity looking like? For providing this child care Especially compared to demand Yeah, we have a secretary deputy secretary boucher here and she'll answer your question Thank you Yes, lola that is correct. That's um additional Guidance from the secretary of education just went out today. We anticipate a number of schools have set up Either themselves or via partnerships with private child cares in their vicinity Functional child care arrangements. We anticipate that those will continue As they as they can In other areas where they're still struggling for a number of reasons to set up an in school Situation we anticipate being able to help them find some private child care spaces I will say that we have done A bit of a scan just with the superintendents and it does look like Every area that has a number a large number of students who school of students who need care They have found it and the schools have actually been able to set up care that Meets that need so there are a few areas in the state where Luckily, it's not a lot of children, but they're also Looking at again building more robust partnerships Because they are having difficulty With school-based care and I will also let secretary smith Speak from the child care side I think as we transform and as we move to a new era here as the governor's Executive order puts this into Stay home stay safe that we're also going to have to look and transform that That child care sort of thought process as well And so I think in the next few days you'll see some further guidance on how we Transform that system to make sure we're taking care of essential workers and Workers from essential businesses so more to come on that I think as you In the next couple of days Yeah, I don't have that on me I And I don't it's been quite a few and at the same time there have been a lot of matching that's been going on But I don't have the precise number I did on monday if you would ask that question on monday, but I don't have that today with me Okay, thank you I do have school age numbers as of monday. They were approximately 360 with about 30 more uh pre-k Are you Or requests for care requests for care in some districts as well They're seeing a lot Smaller number of parents take advantage of the slots. So these were actually requests for care, but again in a lot of the Situations a much smaller number of families and children are Showing up to actually participate in the care All right All right, well that concludes the press conference. I want to thank everyone that Called in as well as those who are viewing in For their understanding their patience and Taking every step necessary in order to provide prevent this from spreading so you can all do your part But we'll get through this together. Thank you again