PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Museum has suspended its mask and vaccine requirements for visitors. Starting Monday, guests will not be required to wear masks nor show proof of vaccination.
This move follows guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and state and city health officials, who are no advising that indoor masking is no longer required because positive cases of COVID-19 have dramatically declined since the holidays.
The museum is among the first to drop all pandemic restrictions; a number of Berkshire institutions are still requiring masks and/or proof of vaccination, at least as of Monday. Public schools have already dropped their masking requirements or have set dates for those mandates to expire.
Pittsfield has dropped from red to yellow in this incident rate level and is reporting about 50 active cases in the city. About 76 percent of residents are now vaccinated.
Museum staff will continue to wear face coverings and encourage any unvaccinated visitors or those who have a weakened immune system or are at increased risk for severe disease due to age or an underlying medical condition or have someone in their household with a weakened immune system, to do the same, as recommended by public health officials.
"As we have done throughout the pandemic, we are following scientific evidence, striving to be good neighbors and community members, and adhering to the standards put forth by city and county leaders, and our public schools. We will continue to do so and recognize that this may be a temporary loosening of restrictions. We're all in this together, and we will continue to provide wonderful programming and exhibits to the entire community according to guidance from public health officials," according to a statement by co-Executive Directors Hilary Ferrone, Miriam Kronberg, and Craig Langlois. "We are grateful for the community's support and understanding of our previous admission restrictions as we sought to make every visitor's museum experience as safe as possible."
The museum's current exhibit is "Voyage to the Deep," based on French author Jules Verne's 1870 classic "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." At the center of this fantasy world is Captain Nemo's submarine, a giant Nautilus in which kids can climb aboard and discover the inner workings of a deep-sea submersible and explore the captain's Cabinet of Curiosities full of marine specimens.
Adults only can party at the "(un)Beach Bash!" on Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. with Voyage to the Deep and the White Eyed Lizard Band. Tickets includes marine-inspired nibbles, tropical spirits, and a steel drum band. Admission is $50; members $40.
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Companion Corner: Princess at Berkshire Humane Society
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There is an energetic girl waiting to find her new home at the Berkshire Humane Society.
iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.
Princess is a six year old shepherd mix that has been at the shelter for just over a month.
Canine caregiver and adoption counselor Simone Olivieri told us about Princess.
"She's very social, very friendly. When you're out walking her, she just wants to go say hi to every single new person. Loves to make new friends. She's a lot of fun. She's very active. She's very spunky. She's very playful, and she's going to need a very very active family who's going to do a lot with her."
But Princess is no stranger to the shelter. She was a puppy five years ago and got adopted quickly, but now she needs a new family to take care of her.
"She was adopted out fairly quickly as a young puppy. She's been in the same home for the past five years. Unfortunately, they were moving out of state somewhere," Olivieri said. "They could not take her with them, so she ended up coming as a return to shelter, and she came back to stay with us."
Princess needs to go to a home as the only animal or with other male dogs that are her size or bigger.
"Her perfect home would be kids eight and up. No cats. No small animals. She has quite a prey drive. She could go to a home with another dog around her size or larger, preferably a male dog. She does a little bit better with male dogs, and she's looking for a home where people are home quite a bit, so that she's not left alone for too long. She has some separation anxiety," Olivieri said.
She also needs a very active home that can let her use her energy every day, as she is very rambunctious. Especially with playing with her favorite toy, the flirt pole.
"She could use a home where people are going to give her a lot of attention and more than just a few walks a day; she's going to need lots of exercise, lots of playtime, lots of mental stimulation," Olivieri said. "She likes to learn, so someone who would be willing to take her to training classes or work on some training with her, as well as hikes, getting out and about, doing new things, different things. She is very athletic. She'd excel at things like agility, some dog sports. Just someone who is really going to want to engage and do a lot of different kinds of activities with her."
Once you let her get her energy out, she is a cuddler who wouldn't mind being held like a baby from time to time.
"She's very sweet. She's very cuddly. She's very affectionate, but she is not a couch potato. She will stay on that couch with you for a little bit, and then she's ready to go off and do something else. So she's very busy. She's very active," Olivieri said. "Once all of her exercise needs are met during the day, she will settle down nicely, and she will want to be right by your side, cuddle with you at night on the couch, sleep with you."
Princess is very healthy but does experience some anxiety and is not fully potty trained and might have the occasional accident.
"She does have a little bit of anxiety, so she is on some medication for it right now," Olivieri said. "So a lot of structure, a lot of outlets, and familiarity, getting used to a new routine and everything is gonna be really good for her. I mean, she's just lovely. Like I said, she's very social. She likes to play with other dogs. She likes to meet new people."
The community was invited to come to the village for free and take part in a wide range of activities including tours, live music from Ida Mae Specker Trio and Tanglewood, demonstrations, and more. click for more