July 1 post from the Town of Greensboro and the GERT about July 4th weekend

We have been asked to post this by the Town of Greensboro and the Greensboro/Stannard Emergency Response Team.   For additional posts, go to the Town website at www.greensborovt.org.

July 1, 2020

Dear Greensboro Neighbors and Guests,

July 4th weekend may be the most popular time of year for families to gather together here in the NEK. The Emergency Response Team would like to take a moment to refresh folks’ understanding of Vermont COVID-19 protocols for new arrivals into the Greensboro/Stannard community–both those who briefly leave VT, then return; and those arriving for the first time.

*** Absence of symptoms does not mean absence of infection. Treat everyone as if you and they are infected. 6-8 feet apart, masks, hand hygiene. ***

State protocols for new arrivals into Vermont give travelers 3 options:

1. Vermont’s county-by-county quarantine-free travel policy allows quarantine-free direct travel to and from designated counties with fewer than 400 active cases of COVID-19 per one million residents in New England, New York, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, DC, and West Virginia, only if traveling in a personal vehicle with no stops on the way.
2. Vermonters and visitors traveling to and from counties where there is higher infection and all other states not listed above, must be quarantined (14 days or 7 days with a negative test result) either in VT or in their home state before driving to VT, non-stop, in a personal vehicle.
3. Any travel into VT via any method other than a non-stop personal vehicle requires quarantine in Vermont–14 days or 7 days followed by a negative test result.

Testing details:

• Date of arrival in VT is Day 0.
• The nearest pop-up COVID-19 test sites are in Hyde Park, St. Johnsbury, Newport, or Barre. Register here: Vermont Pop-Up Testing. If the site is full, go as a walk in. No one is being turned away. Please do not travel far. Find a site that is close and near the date you want to be tested and go in as a walk in even if you have not registered online.
• It is best not to be tested before 7 days of quarantine. Viral load in the nasal cavity is not detectable before day 3. It increases daily with its peak on Day 7 delivering the most accurate results.
• Positive results will be communicated within 48 hours. If no call is received after 48 hours, assume a negative test and the quarantine period is complete. Written results are returned within 5 days.
• If you have symptoms you must be referred through a Vermont health care provider. If you do not have a local provider, call Copley Hospital (888-8888) for a testing referral.

Did your family member leave Greensboro and return? The guidelines state that people hosting travelers do not need to quarantine. When travelers to Vermont who are under quarantine are staying with others in a home or lodging, the people hosting those travelers do not need to quarantine. If they are sharing space with others, people who are under quarantine should stay at least six feet from the people they are sharing the space with and are advised to wear a mask. Disinfect commonly touched surfaces. People in the same household should check themselves for symptoms (self-observation) for 14 days. But because this is a community of elders, we ask for a voluntary extra step–that hosts refrain from circulating in the community and quarantine together.  Risk exists.

Anyone coming to Vermont is strongly encouraged to sign up for a daily symptom check reminder called Sara Alert. It is not a contact tracing system. For more information about how to quarantine, visit the Vermont Department of Health’s quarantine chart.

If you have questions, please call Karl Stein, Greensboro Town Health Officer, at 533-2379 or Christine Armstrong, Greensboro Deputy Health Officer, at 802-363-8500.

Together, we have acted mindfully and intelligently in our approach to COVID-19 both as a state and as a small community. That can’t stop now. The Emergency Response Team will continue to support Greensboro and Stannard as we all carry on, together.