Vermont Governor's Stay Home Stay Safe Executive Order

[TapTapTap]

Has anyone been affected by Governor Scott's executive order prohibiting non-essential businesses?

https://governor.vermont.gov/sites/scott/files/documents/ADDENDUM%206%20TO%20EXECUTIVE%20ORDER%2001-20.pdf


The order clearly doesn't designate the maple syrup business as exempt. I think it's obvious that you can continue as a one-person operation, and immediate family within your house.

[Mead Maple]

My wife is a nurse on the labor and delivery floor and I am a road foreman for our town. We are lucky to have stable jobs but hers has become a very worrisome place to be and we are trying to juggle daycare with 3 kids between the two of us while working full time jobs. The whole ordeal in itself has caused some major changes in our lives.


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[DrTimPerkins]

The order clearly doesn't designate the maple syrup business as exempt.

Section 6.e. exempts "...food and animal feed manufacturing, processing and supply..."

Section 6.k. exempts "agriculture and farms..."

Both encompass maple.

[TapTapTap]

Section 6.e. exempts "...food and animal feed manufacturing, processing and supply..."

Section 6.k. exempts "agriculture and farms..."

Both encompass maple.

I agree, but it also fails on the following general statement which seems to be the basis of the exemptions:

"Services or functions in Vermont deemed critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and national security"

So I think that maple industry would not fall into the intent for exemptions.

[DrTimPerkins]

A small portion of VMSMA Guidance in a newsletter issued after the Governor's order.

How does this Addendum affect Maple?
The Addendum clearly specifies that businesses or entities that provide services or functions deemed critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and national security shall remain in operation with certain restrictions.

"Agriculture and farms" and "agricultural sector equipment parts, repair and maintenance" are considered "services or functions in Vermont deemed critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and national security" and, therefore, can remain in operation within certain parameters (this includes maple). Maple is clearly considered part of agriculture and therefore deemed "critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and national security" within the parameters outlined in the Addendum. This means that you can continue to operate your sugaring business/operation. If you have employees, please make sure that you all continue to carefully follow the CDC and VDH guidelines. If you have a retail operation (for maple equipment or for food/beverage), you are also considered essential; however, you need to conduct your business through on-line and telephone orders for delivery and curbside pickup to the extent possible. Mail and shipping services are considered an essential service as well, so you can continue to mail your maple products to customers."

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Read between the lines of all that and it sounds like the Governor purposely excluded maple in a roundabout way. It’s VT in peak maple season. Just be safe and smart about it folks.

[DrTimPerkins]

Read between the lines of all that....

Generally there is not any reading between the lines required. If they meant to exclude maple, it would have said “agriculture and farms, except for maple...”

[TapTapTap]

I think that the executive order can be rsad with some flexibility. However, i think the governors intent is to shutdown all "in-person jobs" unless it's necessary for health and safety. I've seen it first hand in my real job which is construction, also a special industry for Scott. This afternoon all nonemergency state projects were shut down at 5pm, which rescinded earlier directives.

The state is taking this very serious and holding a hard line, despite the hardship on businesses and employees.

[Bucket Head]

I can't speak on Vermont, but here in New York "agriculture" and "food making operations" are exempt from the shut down. They are on the "essential" list.
I work at a bread factory by day and make maple syrup by night. So it's been business as usual for me and I have not worried about it.

Steve

[TapTapTap]

I can't speak on Vermont, but here in New York "agriculture" and "food making operations" are exempt from the shut down. They are on the "essential" list.
I work at a bread factory by day and make maple syrup by night. So it's been business as usual for me and I have not worried about it.

Steve

In the construction world, we have projects in NY that are exempt also. But not in VT. Our governor stated in yesterday's news conference that VT shutdown is the strictest in the nation.

[Bucket Head]

I did not know that VT had stricter restrictions on what was allowed.

Honestly, I'm surprised by what is deemed essential here and what they are forcing to close. I personally have friends who are now unemployed from both their full and part time jobs (and are panicking, and rightfully so) but liquor stores can remain open! I can't get a haircut but the neighborhood drunk down the street is all set?? Not right and not fair if you ask me.

Steve

[ecolbeck]

I did not know that VT had stricter restrictions on what was allowed.

Honestly, I'm surprised by what is deemed essential here and what they are forcing to close. I personally have friends who are now unemployed from both their full and part time jobs (and are panicking, and rightfully so) but liquor stores can remain open! I can't get a haircut but the neighborhood drunk down the street is all set?? Not right and not fair if you ask me.

Steve

I have to say that when MA imposed similar restrictions I was puzzled by it at first. After some thought, I decided the reasoning behind to be fairly obvious. People can get by without haircuts. However, if you’re asking people to stay at home for an indefinite period of time, and you want them to go along with it, at least let them have a drink at 5:00.

[Bucket Head]

I, too, thought that it was just an "unwritten" way to make people conform- keep them calm with booze. But I would hope most folks could get by without booze also during a national crisis.

What if the liquor store owner/employee(s) or a customer is infected? Kind of negates all the other precautionary measures everyone took.

[ToadHill]

The reason liquor stores are essential is to prevent alcoholics from going into withdrawal and ending up in the hospital utilizing ventilators and other resources needed for other patients.

[n8hutch]

States don't want to loose out on their Liquor tax revenue, it looks like better than 1/3 of Americans are going to get this virus. I guess if your going to be broke because of a recession you might as well be drunk and broke . Lol

[Bucket Head]

Kind of reminds me of an old episode of "Cheers". An alcoholic/drunk priest was supposed to do a ceremony- so they tried sobering him up. But he was a happy drunk, and became ornery as he dried out. So Frazier says loudly, "Paging Dr. Daniels..., Dr. Jack Daniels!".

If folks need to be pickled to get through the virus protocol, so be it.

Steve

[maple flats]

Steve, you also want to remember, in NYS the liquor stores also sell lots of lotto tickets, maybe that is why Cuomo deemed them necessary.

[tcross]

most liquor stores around here are also groceries stores, gas stations or the like. booze brings in a lot of tax $ the Gov't is going to need !!

[Bucket Head]

That's right- the government always gets "theirs"- even with a pandemic in progress.

It's just tough to watch some folks operate like nothing is happening, or like the liquor stores and some others where business has increased, but then you see a business, family or individual being financially ruined from this. So many will never recover from this tragedy.

Steve