Teacher recalls dark days of Covid:

Six years ago, the month of March felt much gloomier than it does this year.

I was a health teacher in a Vermont public school in 2020, and I remember how hard it was to get my head off of my pillow in the morning when we changed the clocks ahead that spring.

During the first Covid press conference in early March, Governor Scott assured us that he would not shut down the schools, that it would be the worst thing we could do. However, some folks felt relieved the following Friday when he changed his mind and announced that we’d have two weeks off to “flatten the curve” of the virus.

It was a dark, cold month and we were tired. A little rest made sense to some folks at the time.

However, the weeks dragged on to months, and months to years. Even though the governor said that 80% of us would experience only mild symptoms from a Covid-19 infection, he decided to shut schools and businesses and impose other health measures in order to protect those who were vulnerable.

As time went on, businesses were only able to open at half capacity and with health restrictions never seen before. Families faced the “new normal” in isolation. Elders were isolated in nursing homes. Ill and injured patients in hospitals were unable to have visits.

As lock downs evolved into a careful “reopening of the spigot” we were confronted with one-way shopping aisles, “six-foot distancing” floor stickers and plexiglass panels separating shoppers from cashiers. “Mask Mandates” imposed over the summer caused strife and division within communities.

Other imposed health measures included contact-tracing requirements, such as signing-in at restaurants and temperature screenings at entryways. “Test-to-stay” requirements sent countless people home who never exhibited symptoms of any kind, simply because they had a positive test or had been in contact with someone who had. This sent families into chaos, having to leave work and school for days, sometimes weeks at a time to “isolate” and keep testing in order to return.

By the spring of 2022, most of the community regulations were beginning to dissipate. However, many medical settings, including hospitals, continue to impose random test, mask and vaccine requirements on patients and their visitors to this day.

Children Suffered the Most

Children faced the most severe and long-lasting testing, mask and isolation requirements. Schools were closed for the entire spring of 2020 and families were told to isolate in their “pods.” Parents were discouraged from bringing their children anywhere, even to the grocery store.

Schools lost contact with many of their students that first spring, and the online classes they held were difficult to manage. Oftentimes teachers looked on helplessly into their students’ living environments, which were becoming increasingly chaotic as the weeks without structure and stress wore on.

Students were desperate to see their friends, often crying to their teachers during the online class time. I imagine I was not the only teacher who also cried as soon as I logged off.

As if the closing the schools and isolating families for the entire spring wasn’t enough, playgrounds and community pools remained closed throughout the summer. Luckily, some families were able to gather and find some relief at the natural swimming holes around the state where the natural environment and hidden access gave some protection from the imposed mandates and fear.

Schools re-opened in the fall with 6’ distant rules in place. As a result, Vermont schools were only allowed to operate at 50% capacity, which meant that students and families had to adjust to going to school half-time. Some students went to school every other day, while others had 2 days on and 3 days off, or some other combination. The broken schedule and incomplete instruction left gaps in learning, enrichment opportunities and social competency that are still being felt today by those students.

Time to Be Heard

In order to assess how the Covid health policies have affected Vermonters, the Department of Health and government officials at every level need an open line of communication. Testimony should be taken from the community members most affected by these health policies.

Business owners, health care providers, parents, patients and youth, all have valuable input to share. Without our testimony, how can decision-makers conduct a fair assessment, remedy the harms and plan for the future?

To address this need Vermont Stands Up is collaborating with legislators to offer a Town Hall Public Hearing on the Covid Response Measures. This old-fashioned style hearing will be held at the Vermont Statehouse on Wednesday, March 25th at 7:00 pm.

This is your opportunity to share how the Covid lock downs, visitation and business restrictions, reduced access to healthcare services, face mask requirements, school closures, testing, vaccines and other imposed health measures affected you, your family and your friends. What lessons would you like to share with public officials that, until now, there hasn’t been time for?

Testimonials will be recorded and broadcast by ORCA Media and made available for inclusion in the historical record. There will also be two online hearings which will allow participants to record their testimonies remotely.

Representatives and public officials from every level and region are invited to attend. The hearing offers caring decision-makers, many of whom were asked to create policies enforcing Covid protocols, the opportunity to listen to the personal stories and lessons which have been omitted from of the mainstream media and engage in conversations which were not permitted during the Covid emergency.

Registration and other details, including a collection of previously recorded testimonials, are available at VermontStandsUp.org

-Amy Hornblas