By Sanchali Singh
(BURLINGTON, Vt.) In a Monday night vote, the Burlington City Council decided to end its mask mandate for fully vaccinated individuals starting Tuesday.
VTDigger reported that Mayor Miro Weinberger is expected to sign the resolution which no longer requires face masks in retail stores and city buildings for those who have received their final COVID-19 shot.
The mayor’s COVID-19 emergency order still remains in place until June 15.
Burlington’s decision to end its mask mandate brings the city in line with federal and state guidance, which recommended only requiring partially or unvaccinated people to continue wearing masks.
As Burlington reaches pace with state guidelines, Vermont could be the first state in the country to get rid of all pandemic-related restrictions.
Gov. Phil Scott is desperately trying to get the state population to vaccinate 80% of residents with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the threshold that will allow the state to completely reopen through the governor’s Vermont Forward Plan.
Scott originally estimated that Vermont would reach this goal last week, but the state continues to slowly inch its way towards 80%. In regular updates posted on Twitter, the governor said on Tuesday that Vermont has vaccinated 79.4% of state residents and only needs to vaccinate 3,139 to be the first state in the nation to hit 80%.
Burlington Councilor Sarah Carpenter said on Monday that she thought the council was correct in waiting to lift its mask mandate, as Chittenden County’s first-shot rate among 18- to 29-year-olds has increased.
The city has been trying to vaccinate more people through pop-up sites, an idea that Carpenter said Burlington should continue.
VTDigger reported that more pop-up clinics will be taking place this weekend for Burlington’s Discover Jazz Festival, according to Weinberger.
“The administration of course continues to support the council taking this action,” he said of rescinding the mandate, “and giving yet another reason for individuals who have not yet gotten vaccinated to consider doing so.”