Licenses allowed for out-of-state, retired health workers
Lisa Rathke | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 7 months AGO
Donna Tosi, of Vernon, Vt., works on making masks for the Brattleboro Retreat in her basement sewing room on March 31, 2020 while watching the news about the COVID-19 outbreak. Tosi has made roughly 135 masks so far. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)
Donna Tosi, of Vernon, Vt., works on making masks for the Brattleboro Retreat in her basement sewing room on March 31, 2020 while watching the news about the COVID-19 outbreak. Tosi has made roughly 135 masks so far. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)
A look at developments related to the coronavirus outbreak in Vermont:
HEALTH CARE WORKERS
Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill that will allow licensed out-of-state health care workers, including mental health professionals, to be licensed to work in Vermont, and retired Vermont health and mental health care professionals who left work less than 10 years ago to return temporarily during a COVID-19 state of emergency.
He signed the bill Monday.
The state Office of Professional Regulation may also issue temporary licenses to new health care graduates who are unable to take board exams because of the COVID-19 outbreak, the secretary of state's office said.
“We are working judiciously to ensure that thousands of skilled professionals in crucial fields can practice quickly and safely,” Secretary of State Jim Condos said Tuesday.
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MORE CASES
The state had over 290 cases and another death from COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths to 13, according to the Vermont Department of Health.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.
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ELECTIONS
Vermont is making temporary changes to its election laws, Secretary of State Jim Condos said.
Candidates will no longer have to gather petition signatures for the state's primary elections in August and the general election in November, Condos said Monday in a written statement. But candidates will still have to file financial disclosure statements, he said.
“Eliminating the requirement for candidates to collect signatures for petitions is necessary in this time when we are sheltering at home, avoiding gatherings, and avoiding unnecessary contact with other people,” Elections Director Will Senning said. ____
THANK YOU
Police in St. Albans are thanking medical workers with a weekly police parade around the hospital. Law enforcement officers from St. Albans and elsewhere plan to ride around the Northwestern Medical Center complex with their lights and sirens at 6 p.m. every Monday to show appreciation for the staff.
"No one knows what's going to happen tomorrow or next week. So it is always the right time to show your appreciation to the people who are out there for us," Saint Albans police Lt. Paul Talley told Mynbc5.com.