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Date: 1/11/2022
SOUTH HADLEY – On Dec. 23 2021, the town of South Hadley put a mask mandate in place. All individuals aged two and older are ordered to wear a face covering in indoor spaces open to the public including: restaurants, bars, hotels and motels, gyms and fitness clubs, salons and barber shops, places of worship and performance and event venues.
Since March of 2020, Public Health Director/Emergency Management Director Sharon Hart said there have been 2,001 confirmed cases in town. During the week of Dec.21-28, 2021 there were 128 cases in town. Over the week of Dec. 28, 2021- Jan. 4, 2022 was a slight increase to 130 confirmed cases in South Hadley.
According to Hart, the numbers over the holidays are high but seem to be following the same pattern as last year. She explained that last year there was not a significant drop in the holiday spike until the beginning of February. The population of South Hadley is 18,076.
About 76 percent – or 13,760 – of residents in town are vaccinated with at least one dose. The least vaccinated age group are 16–19-year-olds with only 43 percent, followed by 20–29-year-olds at 52 percent.
“The Board of Health felt the mask mandate would help to curb the spread of COVID and they will rescind it once they feel that the COVID impact is moving in the right direction,” Hart told Reminder Publishing.
For the nearest testing location for residents in South Hadley, log on to the State website at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/find-a-covid-19-test.