Adams Board of Health Decides Against indoor Mask Mandate

ADAMS, Mass. — After community feedback and a drop in case numbers, the Board of Health has decided not to issue an indoor mask mandate for the town. 

This decision comes following the board mulling the possibility during the last several meetings, as case numbers surged throughout the county in recent months. Despite forgoing a mandate, the board approved the language of signage — which it plans to distribute throughout town — urging residents to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and wear a mask in public places. 

Between Jan. 22 and 28, Adams recorded 66 new COVID-19 cases, 29 of which were in residents age 40 and older. Additionally, 36 new residents became fully vaccinated, meaning 70 percent of the town is now vaccinated, with 58 more getting booster shots. 

Board Chair David Rhoads said COVID-19 cases in Adams and Berkshire County are going down after the surge while cautioning the drop is likely in part due to the availability of home tests. Deaths, however, are not going down, according to Rhoads, with 13 COVID-19 related deaths in the county over the last two weeks. 

"The CDC still considers us high transmission," Rhoads said. "There were a number of deaths. One of the tragic things about this; even though it seems like the omicron illness is less, but the number of deaths is going up." 

After calling for community feedback, the board received 16 written responses from residents on what steps they should take with COVID-19 restrictions. Six responses supported a mandate, one opposed and six supported a strong advisory. 

In addition to the responses, the board received an open letter refuting the effectiveness of masks. Rhoads said the studies and data presented in the letter were flawed and inaccurate. 

"Most of those studies predate COVID," he said. "Most of those studies employed cloth masks. Most of those studies are not in the settings we're talking about. And the virus that is being prevented is influenza. We know that influenza has a much greater transmission by surface contact than COVID. And so, even wearing masks does not help if it was transmitted via surfaces."

Selectman Howard Rosenberg was in attendance at the meeting and urged the board, in the long term, to focus on issues of health and wellness. He noted that a large portion of those hospitalized with COVID-19 already had compromised immune systems because of preventable and treatable conditions, such as heart disease. 

"This would not have been as deadly an epidemic if Americans were healthier," he said. "There needs to be a focus on it, because right now the message is 'Oh, if I wear a mask and I get vaccinated and boosted, I'm fine.' Well, guess what? When the next epidemic comes, before there's a vaccine, it's going to take out another half a million people." 

The board members agreed, noting that they would be willing to work with Rosenberg and others on messaging in the future. 

"I think, hearing what you said, I think maybe we can try to encourage a bit more specificity rather than just saying, 'get more exercise,'" Rhoads said.

Cheshire Opens Tree Festival, Clarksburg Children Sing

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:28PM / Monday, December 02, 2024

Santa arrives in Cheshire to lead the parade to the tree lighting. 

CHESHIRE, Mass. — The town center was alive with holiday cheer on Sunday evening as Santa Claus led a brigade of hay rides from the Festival of Trees to the Christmas tree lighting.

Cheshire was one of three North Berkshire communities on Sunday that marked the beginning of the holiday season with tree lightings and events.

The third annual festival, which opened on Sunday, showcases more than 70 decorated trees from local businesses and town departments. It has grown yearly, with 32 trees in the first year and 53 in the second year.

DPW Director Corey McGrath said the event exceeded expectations and the camaraderie between town departments made it easy to plan.

"It falls into place," he said. "… you put it out there, you build it, and they come."

McGrath sais when he started the event, there were going to be 13 town committee trees to match the windows of the Cheshire Community House's main room "and they said 'No, go big.'"

"That's what we've got now," he said. "Through the whole month, it will just be endless people all day."

The evening began at the tree show with live holiday music and adorned greenery around every corner.  Santa arrived in a firetruck and attendees were transported to the Old Town Hall for the Christmas tree lighting, later returning to the Community House for refreshments.

Town Administrator Jennifer Morse said businesses and departments called to reserve trees donated by Whitney's Farm and voters will choose a winner by the end of the festival. The best in show will get a free tree from the farm next year.

There was also a raffle to benefit the Recreation Committee.

"It’s open all the way until the 29th," Morse said. "So people are welcome to come in at any point [during open hours] and look at it."

Selectwoman Michelle Francesconi said planning has been "really smooth."

"I think that the town employees and volunteers have all kind of settled in now that it is the third year of the event and the festive atmosphere starts the week of Thanksgiving when all of the trees start getting set up and Christmas music is playing in town offices," she explained.

"There is so much interest that we have more interest than we have space for the trees so, at some point in time we'll be pretty full but I think that the community is anticipating the event now every year and the word is spreading."

She added that there is a lot of interest in tree theming and that volunteers and businesses are enthusiastic about creating something new and exciting.

The tree at Old Town Hall was donated by Youth Center Inc. and a child was selected to help Santa light it.

"Differences are always put aside when it comes to something like this," McGrath said.

Adams also hosted carriage rides around the downtown, a visit with Santa Claus in the Town Common's gazebo and hot cocoa and candy from the Adams Lions Club. The tree was lighted about 4:30.

Santa, or one of his helpers, was also in Clarksburg, above, and in Adams.

In Clarksburg, preschoolers and kindergartners from school serenaded the crowd at annual Christmas tree lighting at Peter Cooke Memorial Town Field.

More than 100 people turned out to welcome Santa Claus as he arrived by fire engine and cheer as he threw the switch to illuminate the tannenbaum and get the season going in the town of 1,600.

 

The scene then shifted to the park's gazebo, where the youngest pupils from the town school — joined by a few first-graders — sang "Must Be Santa" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

 

Then it was time for the main purpose of the season: giving to others.

 

The Clarksburg Veterans of Foreign Wars once again distributed checks to local non-profits.

 

The VFW chapter distributed $10,250 that it raised over the past year from a mail campaign and its annual golf tournament.

 

The biggest beneficiary was the Parent-Teacher Group at the elementary school, which received $4,000. Other groups benefiting from the VFW program included the cancer support groups AYJ Fund and PopCares, the Drury High School band, the St. Elizabeth's Rosary Society, the Clarksburg Historical Commission, town library and Council on Aging.