March 12 North Adams COVID-19 Update

The City of North Adams and the North Adams Public Schools issued a COVID-19 update today.

A press release from Mayor Tom Bernard's office said that on Tuesday, NAPS Superintendent Barbara Malkas informed school district staff of the following measures that will be in effect through April 17:

All school events will be cancelled or rescheduled for later in the school year. All field trips will be cancelled or rescheduled for later in the school year. All staff will be prohibited from travel to events, seminars, workshops, or professional development outside of the county.

The Mayor announced other protective measures for public events and City staff, including enhanced cleaning procedures at all public buildings. The Mary Spitzer Senior Center will be closed on Friday, March 13, to allow staff to conduct a deep cleaning of the center before it reopens on Monday, March 16.

Also, effective immediately and for the next 30 days the city is canceling all events hosted by the city, or involving city staff that meet any of the following conditions:

• Any event with a potential gathering of 100 people or more. This includes the city’s 125th anniversary activities, planned for April 24-25, which will be postponed to a later date.
• All professional development events and meetings outside Berkshire County, or within the County in numbers greater than the above thresholds.
• Any event that cannot ensure 6 feet of space between attendees either needs to find a suitable space or make teleconferencing options available.

Additionally, any employee who appears to be ill should be sent home and be given the option to work remotely until symptoms have resolved.