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Date: 12/29/2021
SPRINGFIELD – Mayor Domenic Sarno delivered a press conference detailing the city’s plan for the COVID-19 surge on Dec. 20, 2021. Alongside his insights, the City Council also analyzed pandemic conditions in a COVID-19 response subcommittee meeting on Dec. 16, 2021.
Mayor’s Briefing
Along with expressing concerns with the recent surge of cases, Sarno utilized his conference to advocate for residents to embrace the vaccine. “We will beat this COVID-19, but we need cooperation…There is an answer to the equation, and that answer is the vaccine,” said Sarno.
In regards to a potential mask mandate, Sarno expressed that “nothing is off the table,” regarding the reinforcement of mask wearing. “If these numbers do not change, restrictions and mandates could be put in effect as early as next week. We strongly encourage individuals who feel comfortable wearing the mask to wear those masks,” said Sarno.
The mayor also provided updates on the availability of COVID-19 testing kits. The kits will be offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Raymond A. Jordan Senior Center on 1476 Roosevelt Ave., the Department of Health and Human Services building on 311 State St., the New North Citizens Council on 2455 Main St., South End Community Center on 99 Marble St. and Springfield Public Library locations, according to Sarno.
“These free rapid COVID-19 at-home test kits will provide our residents with another easy and convenient option to get tested,” said Sarno.
COVID-19 Response Subcommittee
While Springfield experienced a slight decrease in COVID-19 cases from the week of Nov. 28 to the week of Dec. 5, 2021, Health and Human Services Director Helen-Caulton Harris stressed that the virus is still a growing issue for the city. “I don’t think there’s any secret the fact that COVID-19 cases are exploding across the commonwealth, as well as the nation,” said Harris, who revealed that the week of Nov. 28, 2021 featured 818 COVID-19 cases while there were 783 positive cases during the week of Dec. 5, 2021. The Delta variant is still the dominant cause of cases, but omicron is expected to surpass Delta in the coming weeks, according to Harris.
The health director said the younger populous continues to incur the most positive cases, with 56 percent of cases in the Dec. 5, 2021 report stemming from the 30 and younger age range. Harris explained that she will continue to work alongside Nursing Director Jeanne Clancy to develop solutions to mitigate the increase, including the potential shuttering of winter sports like wrestling and basketball. “We’re starting to see COVID really usurp a lot of our systems,” said Harris.
As concerns grow, Harris shared that the district is further stressing their COVID-19 testing and vaccination efforts. The city received 169,970 COVID-19 testing kits that will be distributed to citizens and community organizations, like New North Citizen’s Council, according to Harris. “Any place where we believe individuals gather, we will be giving them the testing kits … our job is going to be making sure we get these kits out as soon as possible,” said Harris, who said kits will be available for pick-up in areas with high positivity rates.
Harris also expressed her encouragement with the city’s growth in vaccination rate, with 56 percent of residents fully dosed and 63 percent having at least one dose.
City Councilor At-Large Jesse Lederman addressed the issue of mask mandates and the status of Baystate Medical Center, with President of Baystate Mark Keroack releasing a statement describing the facility’s over-stretched capacities. While Harris believes the city is considering a city-wide mask mandate, she stressed the importance of the state accomplishing a state-wide mandate.
“If a mask mandate is issued, it needs to be state-wide…when we instituted it last in the city, the compliance and enforcement was really difficult. Our residents were not abiding by the mask mandate,” said Harris.
As the city rallies against the holiday surge, the health director believes the pandemic will remain a part of society as new variants pop up. “Until we can get this under control across the world, these variants will continue to mutate,” said Harris.