Around New England

Vermont Eases Travel Restrictions For The Fully Vaccinated

February 20, 2021

Do you plan on going to Vermont anytime soon? Have you had both doses of the coronavirus vaccine? If that’s the case, there will be fewer obstacles in your way when it comes to making the trip.

Starting on Tuesday this week, anyone who is at least two weeks removed from receiving their second dose of the vaccine will not have to quarantine after traveling out-of-state. This will also apply to people entering Vermont, provided that they bring evidence that they received two vaccines for the virus.

“I want to be very clear:  We’re going to do this carefully and methodically like we have throughout the pandemic, and I’m asking for your patience as we work our way through this process,” Vermont Republican Governor Phil Scott said, according to NBC5.

However, if a Massachusetts resident were to go to Vermont, that person would still have to either quarantine or provide a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival back in the Bay State.

Additionally, Vermont is relaxing its policies as they relate to visiting long-term care facilities. Starting on Friday, February 26, these facilities can start taking vaccination status into account when it comes to activities with the residents, including visitation, as NBC5 points out.

“Again, this change is narrow, focusing on travel, and I know there will be a lot of questions and some head-scratching about why this is allowed while other things are not yet,” Scott said, according to NBC5. “But the fact is, every step we make comes with questions and we’re taking it one step at a time.”

Scott also told the station that the next step in the process will likely be addressing restrictions on multi-household gatherings, something the state does not currently allow.

Thus far, there have reportedly been 125,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered in the Green Mountain state. That’s about 15 percent of the state’s overall goal.