For Immediate Release
November 11, 2021
Media Contact
Conor Kennedy, Office of the Speaker
SPEAKER KROWINSKI CALLS ON GOVERNOR SCOTT TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT OF VERMONT’S HIGHEST RECORDED CASE COUNT SINCE THE START OF THE PANDEMIC
Montpelier, Vt. – Speaker Jill Krowinski today issued the following statement:
“The first thing that came to mind when I saw today’s case count of 591 was, ‘Why? Why is more action not being taken to protect Vermonters and keep our communities safe? Why don’t we implement the strategies we know work, like a mask mandate, to mitigate the spread of COVID-19?’ The Governor has stated that he has the tools available to support our communities, but has yet to utilize those tools and has not articulated when the appropriate time is to roll out the mitigation strategies we know work. That time is now. That time was yesterday. That time was a month ago.
“Parents, students, business owners, health care providers, educators, and local officials are exhausted and looking for the Governor and his administration to take steps to support them in their day to day lives. Early on in the pandemic, Vermont was heralded as a leader in our response to the pandemic and the tremendous effort that went into collaborating and finding collaborative solutions to support our families, friends, and neighbors. Our communities are still making sacrifices to support each other, but they need the Governor and his team to take state action to give them some relief. We are not talking about shutting down businesses or implementing travel restrictions. A statewide masking policy, reminding Vermonters of the effective ways that we can protect ourselves and others - like staying home when you are sick, and increasing the availability of testing are all ways we can bend the curve like we did in the beginning. The data presented at the most recent press conference shows that we are on track to have this level of community spread for the next four weeks, and it is unfathomable to me that nothing is being done to address this unprecedented spread of the virus in every county in the state.
Vermonters are absolutely burned out and cannot understand why more is not being done to mitigate the spread in our communities. The Governor has the power and authority to take immediate action, he has before, and I know he can do it again. This is not a political decision; this is a decision that should be made based on following the data and the science. Governor Scott, please take action today to implement a statewide masking policy and utilize other strategies we know will make a difference in protecting Vermonters.”
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