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Date: 12/9/2020
EASTHAMPTON – Mayor Nicole LaChapelle has extended the order to close public buildings to the public until March 2021.
LaChapelle’s previous order stated that the closings would be in effect from March 16 through Dec. 31 because of the public health concerns from the coronavirus pandemic.
LaChapelle told Reminder Publishing that she is thinking about major population events like Thanksgiving, a spike combined with the winter months, and what the CDC is saying.
“This is the time where we would be opening in the face of an uptick of numbers of cases and then opening school and adding more variables to that so that really worries me.” LaChapelle said. “I like to look at closing buildings or putting any restrictions regarding the pandemic in shorter spurts until further notice. The reasons are so we can monitor the trends.”
LaChapelle shared that she put out a request for proposals around improving and updating air quality and circulation in the public buildings. The proposals have come back and are being evaluated. She will put forth a public plan to address the issues.
“As far as schools, in-person education can happen within Gov. Bakers occupancy requirements for businesses, I am encouraging folks in the school community to be very creative,” LaChapelle said.
She added that people should no longer expect that school will go back to what they knew it to be last January, and people need to think forward.
Superintendent Allison LeClair released a statement in hopes to clarify the mayor’s message and what it means for the schools. She said the recent order should not be interpreted to mean that the school will not open, it means to ensure the safety of students and staff, there will still be no parents or visitors allowed in the building through the end of the academic year.
LeClair stated that with the mayor’s order in place, in the fall they welcomed staff and students back in some of the specialized programs. Although they are currently remote learning due to the rising number of cases, they hope to welcome students and staff back in Jan. if the metrics allow it.
In a prepared statement, LaChapelle said, “All city department phone lines are monitored for incoming calls and voicemails. If a call is not returned, residents can call the Mayor’s Office at 413-529-1470, and my office will reply directly to the caller.”
The statement also read that she will regularly review the order to determine any changes or revoke the order on or before March 2021.