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Date: 3/17/2021
EASTHAMPTON – For the first time since the pandemic began, the Baker Administration has plans to enter Phase 4 of the state’s reopening plan by the end of March.
With this new phase, which is set to take into effect officially on March 22, Gov. Charlie Baker expects to significantly increase the capacity limits for outdoor and indoor venues. This means that capacity limits at indoor venues will increase to 100 people, while capacity limits for outdoor venues will increase to 150 people. This will be all dependent on COVID-19 statistics.
As a member of the state’s Reopening Advisory Board, a group of municipal leaders and public health officials who advise Baker on strategies to reopen the economy safely, Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle offered her perspective on how the Baker administration has handled restrictions and guidance throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As far as the planning, this is the first time global governments have had to look at this in the face of death and loss,” said LaChapelle. “The economic reopening advisory board I was on I think did as comprehensive a job as possible.”
The real difficulty, according to the mayor, came from circumstances that were changing rapidly, particularly in the case of how the disease spreads. She said that the board would put out regulations about what can open and why, but then have to change their course of direction because scientific evidence would prove the opposite of what they suggested.
“In a time of great uncertainty, the plan struggled by no fault of its own,” said LaChapelle. “There was just so many moving parts.”
Throughout the course of the past year, LaChapelle has remained cautious with her own decision-making for Easthampton, closing public buildings until June, discouraging city participation in high school sports, and setting the bar high for the return for in-person learning in schools. The district was under remote learning since November 2020 before accepting a reopening plan in early February that officially brought students back into classrooms.
“I’ve seen so many things change so fast – literally overnight,” said LaChapelle, who added that she continues to stay cautious and thorough when it comes to looking at scientific data. “If we all look back at this pandemic and period in our history, and someone says, ‘Mayor LaChapelle overreacted,’ then I’m good with that – I’ve done my job.”
The city of Easthampton has also found some different ways to help keep their local artists and venues afloat during challenging times. According to LaChapelle, the Easthampton Cultural Council and Easthampton City Arts have offered small grants so artists can continue to create and market on social media. “It [the grant] helps them piece together their creativity and livelihood,” said LaChapelle.
Easthampton has also provided, and continues to provide, small grants to microbusinesses. On top of that, the city has also gathered resources with creatives to make sure that they are receiving all of the benefits from the government, while also linking up with new partners to help sell their work.
As for live venues, LaChapelle said that the city tried to host performances in the parking lot on 50 Payson Ave before the pandemic got worse. The city has received a grant that will help them refurbish the parking lot so more live performances can be held this upcoming spring. The mayor is also working with other venues for a safe reopening in the coming months.
In the meantime, Easthampton continues to provide COVID-19 statistics, and even added a section on their dashboard for vaccination rates. “There’s a smile on my face because I think we’re getting to that new normal,” said LaChapelle. “But we still need to be careful.”
While the decision-making has not been easy for her due to the financial issues many businesses have faced on a day-to-day basis, LaChapelle continues to put the health and safety of her residents above anything else.
“It’s not an easy decision, but first and foremost, it’s a public health crisis,” she said. “Public health is life or death – that comes first.”