Cavendish Update 6/19/20: Bans-Plastic bags & food scraps/News/Covid
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Thanks to telemedicine, Vincenza’s knee surgeon could warn her not to overdo. By Jane Hart
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6/19/20
1. Cavendish Info
2. Latest Spigot Turn: Covid-19 Update
3. July 1: Food scrap & Plastic Bag Bans go into effect
4. Events
If you haven’t been doing tick checks lately, please do so as the little buggers are out and burrowing in. If you aren’t careful, you could end up with Lyme with your corona.
1. CAVENDISH INFO
• Public Swimming Holes Tested Well: Public swimming areas tested well from samples collected yesterday morning - all were below the EPA's upper limit for safe swimming: Greven Field in Proctorsville, Tolles Power Dam in Perkinsville, Twenty-foot Hole in Reading, Cavendish Gorge, and Buttermilk Falls in Ludlow. It's always advisable to stay out of water that has a cloudy or milky appearance, and for 24 hours after it has rained. Thank you Black River Action Team!
• CTES Graduation Live Streamed: For the first time Okemo Valley TV was able to live stream an event-in this case CTES’s 6th grade graduation- to their uTube channel, as well as to their public access stations on Comcast and Vtel. If you missed it, or want to watch it again, check out OVTV’s uTube site. The parade of students entering begins about 17 minutes in.
• Okemo Valley TV Annual Meeting & Awards Night: Okemo Valley TV will be holding its annual meeting and awards night on Thursday, June 25th, starting at 6:30 PM via Zoom teleconference. Instructions for joining the meeting will be distributed via email and to those who RSVP to Executive Director Patrick Cody. RSVPs are encouraged; anyone wishing to join the meeting should email Patrick at pcody@okemovalley.tv or call the station at 228-8808. The annual meeting will include a vote on the annual budget as well as the election of the Board of Directors. Voting for the election will be held electronically for a period f time prior to the meeting. Information and an electronic ballot are available on Okemo Valley TV’s website (okemovalley.tv). Due to current physical distancing guidelines, paper ballots will not be distributed this year.
• Cavendish Summer Food Program: Free meals for kids at CTES from 10-11 M-F in the library. Contact Donna in the office if you would like to have your kids added to the list. 875-7758. Program starts Monday June 22. No deliveries, but Kata will keep everything chilled for you.
• Cavendish Streetscapes Beautify the Town
• Fletcher Farm School Announces Upcoming Classes: Fletcher Farm School will be offering on campus classes starting in July as well as remote learning options. Note that there is a discount for Cavendish residents who can provide proof of residency. FMI: 208-8770 or website
• Fletcher Memorial Library summer reading program
• Ludlow Community Garden Has 3 Additional Plots Available: Located at the back of the Fletcher Farm Foundation, plots are 10-by-10 plot in this all-organic fenced garden. The fee includes plot and tools, water, hoses, and mulch, which are provided to garden members. Several Vermont master gardeners who can provide great tips on preparing and getting the most out of your plot. The all-volunteer garden enjoys working together to maintain the overall area. FMI: Gary Macintyre at 802-228-7178 or gmac1025@gmail.com
• Five Cases of Covid at Claremont Nursing Home: Elm Wood Center, a nursing home on Route 120 in Claremont, has reported five cases of COVID-19, one in a resident and four in employees.
• SBAC scores mixed – but mostly declined – in 2019 math and English tests: Vermont’s standardized test scores (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium or SBAC) for 2019 in math and English were mixed – but generally trended downward – according to results released Monday by the Vermont Agency of Education. “This year’s Smarter Balanced scores reinforce trends that we’re already aware of,” Secretary of Education Dan French said in a statement. “While Vermont continues to perform well nationally, our performance has plateaued, our growth is stagnant and the percentage of our students achieving proficient scores is too low.” For individual school results use the Vermont Education Dashboard.
• Stowe, Okemo, Mt Snow Set to Open June 26th
2. THE LATEST SPIGOT TURN: Covid Related Info
• State of Emergency Extended to July 15: “To continue to manage this reality, the fact is the state of emergency must remain in place,” Gov. Scott said on Monday. “Remember the state of emergency is just a vehicle or mechanism to do all the things we need to do to manage our response.” With statewide testing of 1,000 or more a day, Vermont continues to be a low incidence state.
• Opening: VT campgrounds are allowed 100% occupancy. Two person outdoor visits will be allowed at nursing homes and other long term facilities by Father’s Day (June 21) Drop in senior centers will also be opening in the near future. Note this does not apply to adult day care. New guidelines for nursing homes, residential care homes, assisted Living, therapeutic communities
• Remaining Closed: US/Canada border until July 21. Visits to inmates at Dept. of Correction facilities. Visits to patients suspected of having Covid-19.
• Guidelines Released for Reopening VT Schools: The 25 page document covers student and staff health, school day and facility operations as well as emotional health.
• Treating those who test positive for Covid: As of June 1, the VT Department of Health (VDH) provides those who test positive with a pulse oximeter. They can measure their oxygen level at home, making it possible to get help quicker and potentially shortening or eliminating the need for hospitalization. VT Health Alert
• Sara Alert is a free, automated and secure reminder system to check for common symptoms of COVID-19. People who have tested positive for COVID-19, their close contacts, and people traveling or returning to Vermont can quickly and easily sign up for to receive free daily reminders to check themselves for symptoms by email, text or phone call. If symptoms are reported, the VDH will reach out to provide guidance and next steps. Sara Alert helps VDH teams contain the spread of COVID-19. Note, Sara Alert is not a contact tracing system. It is not GPS based, so it does not monitor your movements.
• Serology Testing: Due to the inadequacy of antibody testing in a small incidence state like VT, the health commissioner and his working group have determined they should not be used to decide if someone has immunity from the virus after getting it and that they should not determine how the state approaches infection control. The commissioner says he believes two or three percent of the Vermont population has been exposed to the virus.
• Outbreaks: Three additional cases of Covid-19 have been linked to the Winooski outbreak. However, their continue to be no deaths or hospitalizations associated with that event. This brings the total cases to 86. VT had its first Covid death since late May on Thursday, bringing the total number of deaths to 56. VDH has also confirmed that there have been no lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 connected to recent public protests. As of Thursday, there have been 1,135 confirmed cases of Covid, 2 are in hospital and 54,745 tests having been completed.
• FDA Pulls Emergency Approval of Hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19: The FDA has withdrawn its emergency authorization for the use of chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate in the fight against COVID-19. The agency said in a letter Monday that the drugs are "unlikely to be effective" as treatments for COVID-19. The FDA now says the drugs should not be used outside of clinical trials.
3. JULY 1-PLASTIC BAG BAN/FOOD SCRAP BAN: As of July 1, Vermont will ban the use of plastic bags as well as food scraps being discarded in the trash. Vermont has some of the strictest laws in the country, in part because the only landfill in the state is running out of room.
• Food Scrap Ban: Starting July 1, Vermonters must separate food scraps from the rest of their household trash. The Cavendish Transfer Station has compost bins in place for free community use. This has been available for several years now, so hopefully this will not be an issue for most people. To learn more about composting, including doing so at home, check out the VT Dept. of Environmental Conservation’s website
• Bring Your Own Bag (Plastic Bag Ban + Paper Bag Fee): According to the VT Dept. of Health (VDH), reusable bags are safe to use during the pandemic. Follow these COVID-19 tips for reusable bags and see Tips and FAQ for more information on safe use of reusable bags: Bag your own groceries; If a store has temporarily banned reusable bags, consider putting your groceries back into your cart and bag them at your car; Clean your bags regularly.
Shaw’s will be charging .10¢ per paper bag. If you are bringing your own bags, be prepared to bag your groceries. You can recycle your plastic bags at Shaw’s in Ludlow. The bin is to your immediate right as you enter the main door.
4. UPCOMING EVENTS:
JUNE 19 (FRIDAY): Juneteenth on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrive in Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War was over and slavery in the US had been abolished. A mix of June and 19th, Juneteenth has become a day to commemorate the end of slavery in America. Despite the Emancipation Proclamation being issued more than two years earlier on Jan. 1, 1863, a lack of Union troops in Texas made the order difficult to enforce. On this day, 250,000 enslaved people were freed, and despite the message to stay and work for their owners, many now-former slaves left the state immediately and headed north or to nearby states in search of family members they’d been ripped apart from.
JUNE 21 (SUNDAY): Happy Father’s Day
JULY 1 (WEDNESDAY): Taxes due
• Vermont Plastic Bag Ban Begins
• Vermont law banning food scraps from the trash begins
JULY 3 (FRIDAY): Fireworks in Chester. Citizens can park throughout the Legion lawn area and in other areas in town and see the fireworks.
JULY 4 (SATURDAY): HAPPY 4TH OF JULY. Firework displays: Rutland over the VT State Fairgrounds 9:45-10:15. No parking on grounds so look for other viewing points.
Have a Heart -stay home or 6 feet apart wearing a cloth mask or scarf.
Stay healthy to protect yourself and Cavendish.