About a dozen protest Vermont stay-home order in Montpelier

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — About a dozen people showed up on the Vermont Statehouse lawn on a snowy Wednesday to protest against Vermont Gov. Phil Scott’s stay-at-home order. At the same time, four nurses from Central Vermont Medical Center wearing face masks turned out to speak against the demonstration.

The protesters had planned to parade through the capital city in their vehicles at 11 a.m. The Montpelier police chief had warned about possible traffic delays as a result of the demonstration, but only a handful of protesters came.

“We have essentially crushed our economy and we need to be able to open back up and get back to work as fast as we can,” said protester Sarah Toscano, of Hinesburg, who was wearing a face mask but said the governor seems to be dragging his feet. “We have flattened the curve,” she said.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, speaking during his regular COVID-19 briefing held at about the same time as the protest, said he was also frustrated by the restrictions required to confront the pandemic and he is also eager to reopen the state’s economy.

But Scott said he would listen to the science and make decisions on what he feels is in the best interest of the health of Vermonters and Vermont as a whole. He said he would watch what happens as other states “open too quickly.”

“The pressure can’t be a reason to do the wrong thing,” Scott said. “We will continue to do what we think is right regardless of the political ramifications.”

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and the infirm, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.

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NUMBERS AND DEATHS

The number of new coronavirus cases reported in Vermont increased by five to a total of 823, the health department reported Wednesday. The number of deaths held steady at 40.

Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said Wednesday department officials did a study of the first 29 fatalities. Of those 13 were patients in long-term care facilities. The median age of all the patients was 80 and all but two were over age 65.

All of the first 29 people who died had significant underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk, such as heart, lung or kidney diseases. Similar to national trends, males outnumbered females 60% to 40%, Levine said.