The Scott administration said on Friday that people who have completed their COVID-19 vaccine regimen may travel to and from Vermont without needing to quarantine.

The travel perk kicks in two weeks after Vermonters and out-of-state visitors have received both doses of vaccine, Gov. Phil Scott said at Friday's COVID-19 press conference.

State leaders also said they would soon ease visitation and activities restrictions at long-term care homes, where roughly two-thirds of those who have died with COVID-19 in Vermont have resided.

A federal contractor overseeing a pandemic food insecurity program has failed to live up to its obligations in Vermont, potentially leaving hundreds of families without access to emergency supplies, according to the state's congressional delegation.

In a joint letter on Friday, Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) slammed New Jersey-based Global Trading Enterprises over its performance during the most recent round of the Farmers to Families Food Box program and urged the Biden administration to select another vendor to complete the contract.

"The failures of Global Trading [Enterprises] have made the program nearly inoperable in Vermont, leaving hungry Vermonters without the food they need," the lawmakers wrote in a press release, describing the company's service as "disorganized, inadequate, and opaque."

The Farmers to Families Food Box program was designed to address a pandemic-related spike in food insecurity by connecting needy families with American-grown products. The program has distributed more than 130 million boxes since May 2020.

The Abbey Group, an Enosburg Falls company, landed Vermont's first two delivery contracts and successfully delivered more than 550,000 boxes last summer. But the U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded the last three contracts to out-of-state companies "solely based on the lowest bid," the lawmakers said, and advocates have since reported distribution challenges.

The latest contract was announced January 19, the last full day of the Trump presidency. Global Trading Enterprises is now being paid $25.2 million to deliver the food boxes in Vermont, New York and Pennsylvania through April 30.

Though it's common for the federal government to award contracts to the lowest bidder, Vermont's federal lawmakers argue that Global Trading's bid was too low.

Their reasoning? The company is delivering boxes to only seven locations in just five of Vermont's 14 counties, they said. One local food shelf leader — who is not named in the letter — was even told that she would need to drive to the next county and wait in line for hours, the lawmakers wrote, "just for the possibility of receiving boxes when the delivery arrived."

"We are sure you will agree that this is a complete failure on the part of the vendor, which is required under their contract with the USDA to provide last mile delivery," the lawmakers wrote.

Leahy, Welch and Sanders are now asking the Biden administration to end the contract early and "thoroughly" investigate any violations to date. They said the contract should be put out to bid again to cover the last two months, and called on the USDA to consider past performance and prioritize vendors with successful track records when awarding the next bid.

Correction, February 22, 2021: Due to a source error, Global Trading Enterprises was misidentified in an earlier version of this story. The company is based in New Jersey.

Vermonters 70 and older can register for a COVID-19 vaccination starting Tuesday, February 16, and some could begin receiving their first shots that same week, officials announced at a press conference Friday. The vaccine eligibility expansion moves the state into the third phase of its plan to inoculate residents.

The news comes a little over two weeks after Vermont began vaccinating the broader population, starting with people 75 and older. Roughly 35,000 people — 85 percent of that population— have either been scheduled for a shot or have already received their first dose, officials said.

"Opening the next age band is an important step, especially with hope on the horizon for increased supply and approval of new vaccines," Gov. Phil Scott said.

Vermont will receive $1.5 million in a multistate deal with the consulting firm McKinsey to settle legal claims over its work with OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma to boost opioid sales.

Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced on Thursday the state's sliver of a reported $573 million settlement with 47 states.

The State of Vermont is suing the manager of its all-payer health care system, OneCare Vermont, over its refusal to provide payroll information requested by State Auditor Doug Hoffer.

Attorney General T.J. Donovan filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Washington Superior Court on Hoffer's behalf. It contends that OneCare’s denials violate its state contract and make it impossible for the auditor to fully evaluate the organization’s cost-effectiveness.

“I didn’t set out to sue OneCare," Hoffer said in a press release announcing the lawsuit, "but they have left us no choice.”

Hundreds of COVID-19 vaccine doses that were feared spoiled at Springfield Hospital are safe to use after all, state officials and the manufacturer said Thursday night.

A further review of refrigeration issues involving the 860 doses in question found that they had not been "impacted by temperature inconsistencies and can be used with full public confidence," the Vermont Department of Health said in a press release.

Norwich University will refund room and board for students who decide to leave campus after dozens of COVID-19 cases derailed the start of the spring semester.

In a video message posted Wednesday evening, President Mark Anarumo blamed the outbreak on "egregious and frankly embarrassing" behavior by students that led to "unreasonably and unsustainably high" levels of infection.

Effective immediately, Anarumo said, "I will support a voluntary departure of any student who does not believe they want to be here, whether because the value is not what they expected, or because they feel unsafe."