By Guy Page
As the state’s July 4 Covid-19 vaccination program ‘finish line’ approaches, Vermonters who refuse vaccination may not be refused service in restaurants and stores. However, they may be required to wear masks.
That’s the takeaway from sometimes cryptic comments made by Gov. Phil Scott and administration officials today at Covid-19 press conference.
Asked point-blank today by a reporter whether unvaccinated Vermonters will be denied service at restaurants and stores as the Covid-19 vaccination campaign gathers steam, Scott and senior administration officials refused to answer directly. However, they promised information next month.
Later in the press conference, Scott suggested unvaccinated Vermonters would be required to wear masks in public places.
Early in the press conference, County Courier editor Greg Lamoureux asked Gov. Scott, “can a business say you can only enter if you are vaccinated?” Scott answered: “That’s one of those what ifs that I don’t have the answer to. Nobody has asked us this that I know of.”
Then Agency of Commerce and Community Development Lindsay Kurrle jumped in. Noting that home gathering guidelines have been relaxed, guidance for businesses “doesn’t open that wide at this point,” she said. “We’re talking about it internally. You can expect to have more clarity on that in the next couple of weeks as the governor roles out the plan.”
When Lamoureux pressed for information about unvaccinated Vermonters entering bars and restaurants as customers, he was told, “I don’t know. I would need to be a lawyer. I can’t answer that.”
Administration officials stressed the need for Vermonters to comply with the accelerating vaccination campaign. President Biden, Gov. Scott and Health Commissioner Mark Levine all have referred to July 4 as the desired finish line for the vaccination program. Scott said he hopes that if the vaccination plan goes well, masks and social distancing will no longer be mandatory, but will be left to individual choice.
Vermonters must “get vaccinated as soon as it’s our turn,” Levine said, so that “we can cross the public health finish line together.”
Human Services Secretary Mike Smith urged listeners to create an online account immediately so that they can be scheduled promptly “when it is your turn to be vaccinated.”
Meanwhile the State of Vermont will press hard on the need to respond when it’s their turn. “We’ll step up the PR campaign,” Scott said. “We hope all of you [news reporters] will as well.”
“This is a race to the finish,” Scott said.
Not all Vermonters share Scott’s enthusiasm. A gathering for the anti-mandatory vaccination World Freedom Day has been scheduled for Saturday, March 20 on the Vermont State House lawn. A statewide group, Health Choice Vermont, supported legislation protecting freedom to not choose vaccination and prohibiting any loss of services due to that choice. However, neither bill survived the March 12 crossover deadline for passage this year.
Vermont Daily asked Gov. Scott: “An estimated third of Americans have either health, philosophical, or religious objection to being vaccinated. If next month they may be prohibited from eating, shopping and going to work, how will you respond to their claims they are being treated unequally like second class citizens?”
I haven’t put forth anything…..I’m not concerned about that,” Scott answered. He noted that in the health care system, individuals who have shown that in the past they have not wanted to be vaccinated are given the option of masking and socially distancing.
“It may get to a point that it is advisable that you may have to wear a mask,” Scott said.
The press conference was held on the one-year anniversary of the first Vermont Covid-19 death. To date 166,000 Vermonters have been vaccinated, with more than 80% of those 70 and older receiving the vaccine to date. 60% of Vermonters ages 65-69 have been vaccinated, Smith said.
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Healthy people, people with little chance of becoming seriously ill, should not be forced to take medicine that they don’t need. I suggest everyone get an antibody test, this should carry as much weight as vaccine passports. Herd protection through natural immunity is still a viable option, but they refuse to explore it. I’m not an anti vaxxer, I just don’t approve of any government dictating my level of freedom.
I get that this was a pandemic & a novel virus et al, but in general, contagions & “germs” are, were, and always will be a part of life.
If those who CHOSE to be vaccinated have all been vaccinated — it’s masks off. Those who have natural immunity, recovered from the virus & have same, or have been vaccinated will almost certainly not become ill from these “unmasked” people and they, in turn, must accept the consequences of their choice…which could be that they are potentially exposed to Covid.
Lastly, I’m not convinced that masks have done a whole heck of a lot to mitigate this disaster caused by China anyway; neither did mandated lock-downs. The ONLY “knight in shining armor” was President Trump who implemented Operation Warp-Speed.
If that had been a democrat-run “regime”? The more older folks who passed away, the better! Ask our neighbor Andy.
Really? How are you going to know I’m not vaccinated? Will I need to wear a yellow star on my clothing? Present “my papers”? Ooops. Guess that’s been done before.
I’m not standing in the way of anyone who wants the vax from getting it. It’s my right to decide what medical treatments I have done to my body. And besides, if the vaccine works, then it’s not as if us unvaccinated lepers are going to give it to anyone who has been vaccinated so what’s the problem?
I’ve been waiting for someone to bring up the Star-bellied Sneetches. Perfect.
I think this is the first time that I can say that I am looking forward to getting stuck with a needle.I can’t get it quick enough !
@Patrick
And that’s your choice as it SHOULD BE. And my choice to decide if I want one for myself. I wouldn’t try to force you NOT to get the vaccine and no one should be trying to force me TO get one. Freedom, liberty and all that stuff.
Where did I say you should not have a choice ?????????
@Patrick
The point of this article was that our Governor and other officials are mulling trying to punish those of us who choose to not get the vax. You stated you were looking forward to getting it and as I said, that’s your choice as it should be and mine to do as I think best. I didn’t say that you personally were trying to force me to get one.
What happens if you ‘identify’ as having had the shot?
Vac-Refusers are free to choose and not forced to wear a mask!Does Phil Scott honestly think he has a right to regulate our lives to the point of eating in a restaurant with a mask?Truthfully speaking,you have to take the mask off to eat,so what is it all for?To justify scientific data that can be manipulated to say whatever you want it to? We have inalienable rights and need to live them now!!Life ,Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness through hard work were given by God,therefore no one can take them away, not even the Government!!
But they sure are trying as hard as they can!!!!
DISCRIMINATION
Meanwhile, states that have abandoned mask mandates and nonsensical, unconstitutional restrictions seem to be doing better than states still imposing tyrannical measures. Curiously, Scott and company seem blissfully unaware of this reality.
Health issues place me in a high risk category and, as such, I’m eligible to be among the first to get the vaccine but I have zero intention of ever receiving the shot(s) and zero intention of cowering before any government or other entity wishing to penalize me for this decision.
Strength and Honor…… I salute you.
Thank you, sir! We didn’t ask for this fight but I believe we must put a quick end to their tyrannical overreaches.
I don’t know if Phil Scott and company are willfully ignorant or have a vested interest in harming us. These new Covid “vaccines” are neither safe nor effective in preventing infection from the virus. They use a new technology that has never before been used in humans, and in fact killed the animal subjects in previous attempts to develop vaccines for coronaviruses. Here are just a few links for more information.
https://www.americasfrontlinedoctors.com/wp-content/uploads/Vaccine-PP.pdf
https://doctors4covidethics.medium.com/urgent-open-letter-from-doctors-and-scientists-to-the-european-medicines-agency-regarding-covid-19-f6e17c311595
https://www.protectinghealthandautonomyinthe21stcentury.com/
I have literally hundreds of others all saying much of the same thing. I would rather die of Covid than take that shot, and I do not intend to spend the rest of my life wearing a mask and being denied the right to visit my family out of state.
These injections are NOT vaccines. Duplicity #1, they are mRNA’s. They have tried to bring them to marker for 4 other scenarios, influenza, ebola and 2 others, however they all failed to get FDA approval. Why ? Because the animals died when exposed to the wild virus, because the body attenuates the symptoms instead of minimizing them. Now they have put it in Pfizer and Moderna, and have skipped animal trials. Remember that the negative conclusions that other mRNA attempts showed happened 6 months to 2 years out, when the animal met the wild virus again. That means that Scott intends, or should I say Gates, via Fauci, everyone to be injected before next flu season comes, why? Because people will begin to get sick. Whats Scott, or Gates via Fauci going to say? They are going to say that people are getting ill from a NEW STRONGER VARIANT, another, you guessed it vax is needed. I look at all the glee that people have to be free with the vax. Sadly that is not the intention whatsoever ever. I cry over what’s ahead for you. This admin, Scott et all are violating the Nuremberg Code, which states that experiments should not be done acrosss the public unless the product has safely made it through animal trials. This injection will not stop the spread, it does not claim too, nor will it protect the taker from further infection. It merely claims to reduce the symptoms of a thing that the Gov himself noted last march ” most will experience as a mild flu’, or less. MUCH ADO ABOUT PHARMA< not much ado about health and wellbeing. www,thepeoplesinquiry.com
This entire fiasco is unraveling, and, it seems to me, is likely to turn out to be more insidious than we ‘little people’ have ever imagined.
Dr. Fauci appears to have found himself in a classic CYA scenario. And it’s all about ‘Gain of Function’ virus research.
What Fauci said in this hearing is that because influenza viruses mutate into so-called ‘variant strains’, masks will add an amount of protection (a level conveniently undefined as yet) for those strains that have mutated, or are soon to mutate.
Now consider that influenza viruses have been mutating for time immemorial. But here’s the deal – the influenza virus research with which Fauci was involved years ago, the so-called ‘Gain of Function’ research that was deemed to be ‘too dangerous to continue’ in the U.S. under the Obama administration, was quietly renewed in 2017 with some projects transferred to, you guessed it, Wuhan, China. Allegedly with funding directed by Fauci. Fact checkers dance around this issue describing these claims as ‘conspiracy theory’, and with sophistry like “Although the NIH did fund a project at the Wuhan lab, there’s no proof that the coronavirus was bioengineered.”
Well, ‘no proof’ isn’t ‘proof’.
What is ‘Gain of Function’ virus research?
Biologists are trying to make bird flu easier to spread. Can we not?
This research into viruses could help us understand pandemics better – or it could cause one.
https://www.vox.com/2019/2/17/18225938/biologists-are-trying-to-make-bird-flu-easier-to-spread-can-we-not
”Now, thanks to the US government, two lab experiments trying to find ways to make it more dangerous will resume their work after years on hold.”
OK. Now, I’m speculating.
Under the auspices of trying to learn more about these viruses, like Ebola, for example, ‘Gain of Function’ mutations were intended to create laboratory controlled experiments to better facilitate vaccine production for future outbreaks of various mutating viruses…. or so their logic goes.
But it occurs to me that these Frankenstein wannabes may have been more successful than initially intended – and that one of these engineered ‘function-gaining’ flu strains got loose in the form of Covid-19. And what we’ve been hearing about recently (in this hearing in particular) is that the so-called ‘variants’ that are showing up in the UK, in South Africa, and in Brazil, may be precursors of more to come.
Is it any wonder the so-called ‘Warp Speed’ program was initiated? We have every major pharmaceutical company in the world putting everything they have into these vaccines. We have Dr. (‘it’s alive’) Fauci, pleading with us to wear masks, even after we’ve been vaccinated or have developed immunity to this Covid-19 strain.
Forewarned is forearmed folks. It’s time to stop with the suspicion that Covid-19 was a ‘Great Reset’ ploy to get rid of Donald Trump and put the UN in charge. It’s time to demand that the man behind the curtain, Dr. Fauci, level with us once and for all – even if the truth will hurt – as, it seems to me, it likely will.
@HJ
I totally agree only I don’t think there is the slightest chance that Fauci will level with us nor acknowledge what has happened. I have long believed that Covid was released in a lab accident in the Wuhan lab. I thought the Wuhan seafood market origin idea was inane; so far as I know bats aren’t even sold there. And the caves that this bat virus originated in are nowheres near Wuhan!
With lab engineering for gain of function, Covid became uniquely suited to thrive, be transmitted and mutate in and between people. They have created a monster and we have been repeatedly lied to. When will this end? Who knows? With ever increasing transmissibility due to mutations, and mutations that will eventually overcome the vaccines as well as large portions of the world unvaccinated, this may be around for some time to come. Fauci likely knows the truth but don’t hold your breath for him to level with us; about as much chance as China doing so!
Sounds like public health in VT is being compromised by payoffs I’m sure to the Governor and his lackeys. Pharma. Companies do this regularly in everyday MD. Offices to promote drugs and treatments. Don’t think for a moment that they aren’t salivating over this fake pandemic and fear. MRNA is very dangerous and in the past have killed every animal after being exposed to wild corona viruses..so this is not being spoken about from public health officials…another factor is the PCR test is completely compromised as a effective tool for viral identification, and especially if cycle counts are above 30…most states; including mine here in Maine are at 45, are not upfront on these cycles. Demand this information. Always love visiting VT, but this is fascist behavior disguised as public health