By Sanchali Singh
(BRATTLEBORO, Vt.) Friday marks the first day that people in Brattleboro no longer have to wear face masks.
The decision came after the Brattleboro Selectboard voted 4-1 earlier this week to lift its yearlong COVID-19 mask order, VTDigger reported.
Vermont is slowly moving towards getting rid of all COVID-19 restrictions through Gov. Phil Scott’s Vermont Forward plan. Through the reopening schedule, Vermont must vaccinate 80% of residents with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before it can fully reopen. The governor posted on Thursday that the state is 8,226 people away from reaching the state's goal.
“The disconnect between policies right now is causing confusion,” Selectman Daniel Quipp said at an online meeting Tuesday, “and that confusion tends to lead to some kind of conflict.”
Scott decided to lift the statewide mask mandate and end physical distancing requirements on May 14 for fully vaccinated individuals after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated guidance.
State COVID-19 mandates are still in place for partially or unvaccinated individuals and in certain circumstances, like in schools, on public transportation, healthcare settings, long-term care facilities and prisons.
Businesses and municipalities were given the freedom to decide how they wanted to proceed, and Brattleboro will be one town to get rid of its masking requirement.
VTDigger reported that the number of weekly COVID-19 cases in Brattleboro dropped from 17 to three in May.
“The numbers are very encouraging,” Town Manager Peter Elwell said.
According to a town update, masks are still required inside all Town of Brattleboro government facilities.
The town's decision has sparked concern, as Brattleboro is right off of Interstate 91 and gets lots of tourist traffic.
“I’m wondering who we’re serving if we do away with this mask mandate,” Selectwoman Jessica Gelter said. “It’s not the kids who are unvaccinated. It’s not the immunocompromised people who still feel like they can’t leave their houses. It’s people who just don’t want to wear a mask, and I cannot conscionably go along with that.”
Gelter’s four other colleagues disagreed with her argument and said the mask order had outlived its purpose, according to VTDigger.
“The argument that we should wait would be powerful to me if there was evidence that there was clear and present danger right now,” Selectman Tim Wessel said. “But if we say we’re following the science to put the mask order in place, we have to also recognize the science that tells us when it’s time to let it go.”