The City of Burlington’s Covid-19 emergency order is no more, a milestone that Mayor Miro Weinberger celebrated at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
The order, which Weinberger instated March 16, 2020, was officially dropped June 15, the same day Gov. Phil Scott lifted Vermont’s state of emergency. Scott made the move after 80% of eligible Vermonters were vaccinated.
On the steps of City Hall on Wednesday afternoon, Weinberger gathered a team of city employees and local leaders to congratulate them on a job well done. The Queen City, he said, emerged from the pandemic in better shape than many municipalities around the country. Burlington, and Vermont at large, was viewed as a leader throughout the pandemic as Covid-19 case rates and deaths remained relatively low compared to the rest of the country.
“The end of the emergency order marks a significant accomplishment,” Weinberger said. “One that rests on the hard work of our dedicated city team.”
Chittenden County has recorded only a smattering of Covid-19 cases over the past few weeks. As of Wednesday, zero new cases were reported and the seven-day case average was 1.6 for the county.
Since the pandemic reached Vermont in March 2020, 256 residents have died — 63 of whom lived in Chittenden County. The state has recorded a total of 24,348 cases. Throughout the country, there have been about 600,000 deaths and 33.5 million cases.
As of Wednesday, 83% of Chittenden County residents had received at least one shot of the two-part vaccine.
At Wednesday’s press conference, Weinberger thanked Stephen Leffler, president of the University of Vermont Medical Center, for continuing to keep Burlingtonians updated throughout the pandemic.
“I really firmly believe that Chittenden County, Vermont, has the best response to the pandemic in the country,” Leffler said, “and in the world.”
The mayor’s office also presented a report arguing that the city had prevented additional harm the pandemic could have caused. Weinberger said the report intends to serve as a reference for any crises Burlington faces in the future. The “after action” report lists eight principles city leaders said governed their response:
— Local actions matter. Quick action — such as closing bars, declaring an emergency and communicating public health information to the community — was an effective strategy.
— Shift the collective mindset. City employees worked to convey how important it would be for community members to dramatically change their behaviors. The city partnered with local experts, such as Leffler, to deliver information to the public.
— Build tools to navigate uncertainty. The city immediately set aside $1 million for Covid-19 response work and compiled an analytics team to help track and understand the crisis. A Resource and Recovery Center was established to connect residents to help.
— Protect the most vulnerable. Taking into account health disparities for marginalized groups, the city developed a plan to prioritize vaccinations and protections for Black, Indigenous and people of color. The city provided specific business grants for BIPOC-owned businesses.
— Listen first, then communicate. City officials varied communication styles to reach different audiences through translated newsletters, weekly press conferences and other written or visual communications.
— Learn and adapt as the crisis evolves. Information about how to contain the virus constantly changed as experts learned more about it. As surface cleaning became less of a priority but ventilation became more of a priority to decrease airborne Covid-19 particles, the city supported grants for air purifiers for organizations.
— Leverage city assets. Roles changed to respond to the city’s needs, such as establishing the Covid-19 wastewater detection system and testing sites.
— Listen, partner and empower the community. Residents and local organizations rallied to help one another. For example, Seventh Generation donated cleaning supplies to homeless shelters, and the Association of Africans Living in Vermont helped interpret public health information and halt evictions.
