Mayor Miro Weinberger Statement on Mask Mandate
City of Burlington to take parallel action to make City requirements consistent with updated CDC and State Public Health Guidelines
Burlington, VT – Mayor Weinberger issued the following statement regarding the mask mandate in the City of Burlington:
“The new guidance released by the Center for Disease Control [CDC] yesterday marks a significant milestone in our more than year-long fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. I fully support Governor Phil Scott’s move to quickly lift the masking requirements for vaccinated people in most settings, and the City team is working swiftly to take parallel action in here in Burlington.
“Beginning today we will not enforce the City’s Emergency Order requiring face coverings for fully vaccinated people, and I have called a Special Meeting of the City Council for Monday, May 17th at 5:30 pm in order to rescind the requirement for vaccinated individuals.
“While the City continues to support vaccination education and accessibility to ensure the vulnerable members of our community are protected, many Burlingtonians have not yet had the opportunity to complete their vaccination. However, I want to express clearly – that for those who are two weeks or more past completing vaccination the risk of serious illness and of transmitting the disease is extremely low. The fact that, as of this morning, our regional medical center did not have a single patient hospitalized for Covid is a local indicator of this truth.
I will urge the Burlington City Council to lift the requirement for facial coverings for fully vaccinated people on Monday and hope that action is welcome and exciting news, and that it provides good motivation for our friends and neighbors who are not yet vaccinated to do so as quickly as possible.”
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