Collections Spotlight: COVID-19 Signs

By Katie Grant, VHS Collections Manager

The world as we knew it shifted in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the ways that the state of Vermont worked to protect its citizens was by issuing quarantine requirements for out of state visitors. Soon after the pandemic began in March 2020, the Department of Transportation installed signs on every major road near Vermont’s borders and at every highway exit on I-89 and I-91.  

The red and white signs issued variations on the same message: visitors to the state must go into quarantine and directed them to visit healthvermont.gov for the latest requirements. These signs were extremely visible reminders that although Vermont’s idyllic landscapes were far removed from more populated parts of the country, the COVID-19 virus posed a real threat to the health and safety of Vermonters.  

While many public health officials and historians would say that the world is now post-COVID, many Vermonters still feel the virus’s impact both physically and socioeconomically, as businesses and routines have changed dramatically.

Related: Interview with Garrett M. Graff

The Vermont Department of Transportation eventually took the signs down and donated several to VHS’s permanent collection. They arrived in 2021, amid another wave of COVID-19 impacting dozens of Vermonters. Just as they were relevant at the time they entered the collection, they will continue to help tell the story of this pandemic for future generations. 

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of our member magazine, History Connections. To get it and support the Vermont Historical Society, sign up as a member.