As Franklin County and North Quabbin officials continue efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus, some municipalities have declared a state of emergency out of precaution.
On Thursday, the Orange Board of Health declared a state of emergency in town out of precaution, although no cases have been confirmed in the town or county. According to a notice of the decision, by taking this action the town is positioned to have access to subsequent relief offered by state and federal agencies, “for the purpose of offsetting the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Selectboard Vice Chair and Board of Health member Jane Peirce said that, as part of the state of emergency, the town made the decision to close the Senior Center. She said it was a difficult, but precautionary decision.
“We have a large number of senior citizens, and they are at higher risk,” Peirce said. “We want to protect them and everyone else to the best of our ability.”
In addition to other safety precautions, Peirce said social distancing is recognized to be an effective way to prevent coming in contact with any potentially infected people. By declaring a state of emergency, Orange is able to withhold the public from physically attending a meeting, for safety’s sake. Without allowing members into meetings, the town has to provide a phone number for residents to call in and provide public comment or participate in the citizens’ concerns portion of public meetings.
“The best thing that could happen is people say we overreacted,” Peirce said.
Starting Monday, all town offices in Orange will be closed, including the library. Town offices will operate and work their normal hours, and departments can be contacted by phone and email. The general phone number for Orange Town Hall is 978-544-1100.
Appointments will be made as necessary for birth certificates, marriage licenses and others. The tax collector will accept payments by mail, online payment, money order or check only. There will be no cash payments at this time. The drop box is located outside of Town Hall and will be checked during the day.
Leyden also declared a state of emergency Friday morning, said Leyden Selectboard Chair Jeffrey Neipp.
“We must all do our part and listen to the Board of Health, state agencies and the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, who we contract out for Board of Health advice,” Neipp said. “This is a very serious national and world crisis for everyone.”
He noted that, while it can be difficult, changing daily habits for residents and staying home is an important safety precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Neipp said the town considered state advisement to suspend many town functions, including Council on Aging events and Sunday gatherings.
“We are an aging community here in Leyden, and we have plans in place to check on all our seniors,” Neipp said.
With a limited number of workers, he said it wouldn’t take much to create a problem with first responders if a breakout were to occur locally. The town will be in contact with the state and neighboring towns for assistance. Additionally, on Friday, Gov. Charlie Baker announced an amendment to the Open Meeting Law, allowing local government officials to hold meetings remotely.
“Even though (Leyden) is a small town, the functions of town government need to be kept running for the safety of everyone,” Neipp said.
Greenfield Mayor Roxann Wedegartner declared a state of emergency for the city of Greenfield on Friday afternoon to “facilitate and expedite the use of city resources to protect … the citizens of Greenfield from the impacts of the spread of COVID-19.”
Measures taking place include:
The John Zon Community Center will be closed, as of last Friday. Public meetings are scheduled to be held in the building for the time being, unless otherwise noted.
The Greenfield Public Library will be closed, started Friday, March 13.
Starting today, public walk-in hours in the City Hall, the inspections division and the Department of Public Works office will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This plan affects the clerk, tax collector, assessor, licensing, retirement and all other departments housed in those buildings.
The Recreation Department is canceling events for the foreseeable future.
The DPW wastewater tours are canceled until further notice.
The mayor is also going to limit contact with people for essential appointments and make calls for all others.
The plan will be revisited in two weeks, according to Wedegartner.
There are online services provided to the public as well, including paying fines and taxes online or using the public library’s online offerings, including e-books and videos.
“This action supports our focus on our priority to maintain the health and safety of our community while also ensuring that we are able to keep the very important business of running our city going, with as few disruptions to service as possible,” Wedegartner wrote in the press release. “I urge everyone to remain calm, exercise safe hygiene practices and check in with one another. As the most populous municipality in Franklin County, we hope that providing leadership on this will benefit the county and region as a whole.”
According to the release, the best way to slow the spread of the virus or “flatten the curve” is to practice social distancing.
“Slowing the spread will help preserve the health resources in our city and our county, so that the most severe cases and illnesses will be able to be handled by our public health system, including our own hospital, Baystate Franklin Medical Center,” Wedegartner wrote.
Covid-19 Signed March 13 by Melina Bourdeau on Scribd