November 17, 2020
Neighbors,
As Covid-19 case numbers remain high, I’m writing to share a few important updates:
Testing: The City is again offering additional, free testing in Burlington on Wednesday and Saturday this week. We are trying to provide extra coverage outside of weekday working hours:
- Wednesday: 5:00-8:00 pm at the Miller Center, indoors.
- Saturday: 9:00 am-12:00 pm at the Old North End Community Center, outdoors.
Register here for either day: https://phreesia.me/BurlingtonPopUp
This is to further supplement the Department of Health testing being offered in the Burlington area every weekday this week. In order to make sure that this testing is accessible to all, in addition to the public registration links above, we’re also reserving some spots for direct outreach through community organizations that work with the BIPOC communities, including those for whom English is not a first language (interpreters will be on site at both locations). The goal of this testing is to identify people who are positive for Covid-19 so that we can contain and trace those infections. Please consider getting tested if you have recently attended any social gatherings or traveled out of state. Please remember, these two test sites require pre-registration and cannot take walk-ins.
Wastewater monitoring: Our wastewater readings continues to show growing levels of Covid-19 at our Main Plant (which serves the South End, Downtown, Old North End, and part of the Hill section), elevated but stable levels at our North Plant, and modest levels at our East Plant. This additional layer of data helps us track the prevalence of the virus in our community, and confirms that Covid-19 is here in Burlington and that we must remain vigilant.
Changes to City services: We're pausing some City services to keep our community and employees safe. Paused services include recreation programming, in-person senior programming, many in-person class options, Clerk/Treasurer’s Office applications (except for marriage licenses) effective 11/23, and in-home visits (such as for inspections) except for emergencies. Find up-to-date information on the City website.
City’s Covid-19 dashboard: We’ve added Burlington-only weekly data and wastewater data to our Covid-19 dashboard, along with the Chittenden County daily data that we’ve been tracking since the spring. Follow the dashboard to track how our local-level efforts are working: https://coronavirus-response-burlingtonvt.hub.arcgis.com/pages/impacts
Contact Tracing: The Governor has emphasized the importance of quickly providing accurate information to contact tracers. Please listen to this request – with higher case loads, it is important that we as a community provide timely and accurate information to support the Department of Health.
Thanksgiving: The Thanksgiving holiday is now just over a week away, and I am very alarmed to see reporting that almost 40 percent of Americans are planning to attend Thanksgiving dinners with 10 or more people. I know this is a treasured time of year for many of us. This year, though, we all must follow the Governor’s orders to suspend social gatherings that involve more than one household. I’ll miss being together with my parents and other family members next Thursday – but it’s what we have to do to keep the virus from spreading even more and to keep vulnerable older adults safe.
We are working closely with the State to make sure our City team is supporting the Department of Health in the most effective way possible. I’ll continue to keep in touch regularly as we navigate our way through this surge in case numbers. Remember: The decisions that we make today will change the case numbers that we see two weeks from now. We’ve brought levels of the virus down before, and we can do it again. We’ll continue to get through this together. I am so grateful to be a member of our community during this challenging time.
Warmly,
Miro
Follow local updates on Covid-19 on the City website: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/covid-19
