Vermont expected to announce indoor restaurant dining Friday

— Gov. Phil Scott hopes to announce in two days that restaurants may reopen for indoor dining, with physical distancing a high priority, he said Wednesday.

“We still have a very long way to go to help our restaurants get back up on their feet, but we’ve got to start somewhere,” he said at a news briefing.

The state is also working on a plan to allow visitors from certain states, or possibly regions of those states, without requiring them to quarantine, he said. He plans to discuss the approach Friday.

“There are some areas throughout the Northeast that have low positive case rates like we do, and so we’re looking at how do we open the doors ... so that we can continue to get back to some sort of normal and be able to move freely,” he said.

The administration is also weighing raising the capacity at hotels, inns and campgrounds.

In other coronavirus-related developments in Vermont:

THE NUMBERS

The Vermont Health Department reported two more positive cases of the virus on Wednesday for a total of 990. The total number of deaths reported remained at 55 for the eighth day in a row. The Health Department said no one was hospitalized with COVID-19, although 10 people hospitalized were under investigation.

WINOOSKI CLUSTER

On Monday and Tuesday, 200 people were tested for the virus in Winooski after a small cluster of seven cases was discovered in the community, Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said Wednesday. The testing revealed additional cases but the final numbers were not yet available.

PERFORMING ARTS VENUE

The Barre Opera House in Vermont will remain closed until next year. The board has decided to keep the performing arts venue closed for the rest of the year rather than continue to postpone events, the Times Argus reported.