A steady uptick in COVID-19 cases in the City of Pittsfield has resulted in new restrictions and some temporary closures, including the suspension of indoor dining in the city. The moves come on top of the Pittsfield Schools shifting back to remote learning.

The Office of Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer sent out the following information Thursday afternoon:

With the number of new positive COVID-19 cases continuing to rise in Pittsfield, and with growing levels of concern for the potential of further community spread, on Thursday, the city’s COVID-19 Task Force identified several immediate actions to slow the spread of the virus in the city.

Since Oct. 22, there have been 169 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pittsfield. These cases have been directly attributed to large get-togethers in restaurants and large private gatherings held in residences and attended by individuals from multiple households.

We have reached a point of crisis in our city that impacts our entire community. The number of COVID-19 cases have grown exponentially over a very short period of time... Based on our current case rates and using the state’s new calculations to determine risk, Pittsfield has moved into the red category, making us a high-risk community. We need to take aggressive action now to get us back on the right course and reverse this alarming trend. ~ Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer

 

Beginning Friday, Nov. 13, all of the following actions will take effect:  

The Pittsfield Board of Health will be issuing an emergency order suspending table service at city restaurants until further notice: Local eateries will still be allowed to provide take-out and delivery service. Patrons should feel free to utilize the city’s temporary “grab-and-go” zones for food pickup, which were installed this past spring throughout the downtown. These designated areas offer free and time limited space to allow for quick customer turnover and social distancing.

 

The Board of Health will issue an emergency order stepping back the City of Pittsfield to Step 1 of Phase 3. Until further notice, the following sectors are no longer permitted to do the following:

  • Indoor performance venues will be permitted to open with 50 percent capacity with a maximum of 250 people.
  • Outdoor performance venue capacity will increase to 50 percent with a max of 250 people.
  • For arcades and indoor and outdoor recreation businesses, additional Step II activities like trampolines, obstacle courses, roller rinks and laser tag will also be permitted to open and capacity will increase to 50 percent.
  • Fitting rooms will be permitted to open in all types of retail stores.
  • Gyms, museums, libraries and driving and flight schools will also be permitted to increase their capacity to 50 percent.

Being a high-risk community also means that the state’s current gathering order changes in one way. Currently, the gathering limits are:

  • Indoor gatherings at private residences is 10.
  • Outdoor gathering limit for private residences is 25 people.
  • Indoor gatherings at event venues and other public spaces is 25.
  • Now that Pittsfield is high-risk, outdoor gatherings are now reduced to 50.

For more information on sector specific guidance, please visit www.mass.gov/reopening.

Municipal buildings will be closed to the general public: Community members can visit the city’s website, www.cityofpittsfield.org, to manage their business needs.

Residents should continue to utilize the drop box located in the rear of City Hall to submit correspondence that would normally have to be dropped off at City Hall. Individuals seeking to make an appointment or those with specific questions for city departments, should utilize the City Hall directory, 413-449-5600, during the hours of 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday for assistance. To arrange fingerprinting for firearms, please the Pittsfield Police Department at 448-9716; for licensing prints, please call 448-9723.

To stay connected to city updates on the coronavirus, a COVID-19 link is available on the home page of the city’s website and will feature continuous updates from the city. The public is also encouraged to use the subscription service to receive a notification when a new update from the city is available and sign up for CodeRED.

For more information, please visit the COVID-19 page on the city’s website at cityofpittsfield.org.

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