Vermont’s COVID-19 winter operations guidance requires ski areas to ‘alter’ business

Out-of-state skiers will have a challenging time visiting places like Sugarbush this winter. (File Photo)

Vermont has gotten even stricter with its rules about who can visit this winter.

The state’s COVID-19 winter operations guidance, which was released on Tuesday, states that Vermont ski areas must collect the names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of all people using the resort, each day, this winter for the sake of contact tracing. It is just one of the many items among the mandatory guidance, designed to ensure that “Vermonters, ski area guests, and ski area employees remain safe and healthy through the 2020-21 winter operating season.”  

“It requires the ski areas to considerably alter how they are going to do business this winter,” Ted Brady, deputy secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, told the Burlington Free Press. “The guidance requires people to do things different.”

The 13-page document outlines precautions that resorts should take this winter in regards to out-of-state staffers, lift operation, day-use lodges, ticket sales, and learning programs. Safety officers must be on hand to ensure compliance and actively manage capacity at all base areas. 

Some of the notable guidance items include: 

— Resorts must require guests to attest that the guest will be in compliance with the state’s travel and quarantine policies (14 days and a negative test) when they use the resort either at the point of sale of a ticket or season pass or when collecting contact tracing information. Resorts must be able to demonstrate to state authorities that each guest completed an attestation. Attestations must include a warning that failure to comply with the state’s travel and quarantine policy may result in the loss of future skiing and riding privileges.

— Whenever possible, a resort should collect the name, phone number, address and email address in an electronic format of all people using any indoor space, such as a lodge or cafeteria, including the time, date and where they sat, and retain the list for 30 days. 

— Contactless reservation, purchase and other processes are recommended whenever possible. Sneeze guards recommended to be installed at all in-person points of sale and outside facing ticket windows should be used for on-site purchases whenever possible

— Resorts should collect names, phone numbers, email addresses and addresses in electronic form of all users of a day-use lodge, when they used the lodge, and where they sat, and retain the list for 30 days.

— Lodges must have directional walkways in place to reduce close contact between guests (a designated entrance and exit, large aisles clearly marked with directional flow). 

— Resorts shall offer lenient cancellation policies to discourage guests who are sick or those impacted by a change in the state’s COVID-19 travel policy from traveling to Vermont.

The document also requires that systems must be put into place to ensure capacity limits are not exceeded, such as a reservation system for the lodge. Strict limits will be put in place to reduce how long guest stay in the lodge (the state recommends no more than 30 minutes). 

Read the entire document here. 

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