HADLEY – The town of Hadley joined other local Hampshire County communities in instituting an indoor mask mandate.

The order, which was announced on Aug. 19 and went into effect on Aug. 22, requires all persons 5 years of age and older to wear a mask in all indoor public spaces and private spaces open to the public, regardless of vaccination status.

Children under 5 years old and those who cannot wear a mask because of underlying medical or safety concerns are among those exempted from the order. Musical performers who are singing or playing wind or brass instruments may also be unmasked, provided they are no less than 10 feet away from their audience. Masks are required in restaurants or theaters unless eating or drinking.

Masks are also not required in “office spaces that are open to the public but are an enclosed space with a barrier between the public and employees” when a only one person occupies the space, is not interacting with the public and the barrier is closed.

Dr. Susan Mosler, chair of the Board of Health, told the Select Board at its Aug. 18 meeting that a mask mandate would be in line with the guidance set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which suggest those in any county identified as being at substantial or high risk for spread use a mask indoors. At the time of her report, Hampshire County was considered an area of substantial risk, where it remained as of press time. Neighboring counties of Hampden, Berkshire and Worcester are all considered high risk areas.

“[Cases] are going up. I just got the state report. Hadley had seven reported cases over the last two weeks. We had been at zero for a long time. Northampton was up to maybe 40 and Amherst 35,” Mosler said, admitting she didn’t have the exact data for the latter two communities at that meeting.
In addition to the mandate, Mosler said the board planned to advise the school district to require masks. Since that meeting, State House News Service reported the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education was set to meet on Aug. 24 to discuss giving Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley the authority to institute a masking policy for all public schools. The proposed mandate would last through September and a decision on further masking would be made pending updated data.

Select Board members Joyce Chunglo and Jane Nevinsmith were among those who voiced support for the order. Nevinsmith suggested a mask mandate could keep case numbers lower and prevent a lockdown, thus allowing the economy to continue to rebound.

Mosler also told the board she was waiting on a shipment of rapid tests from the state. Mosler explained the Baker Administration was issuing these tests to boards of health that request them and “when I see something for free, I grab it.”

She added she has had conversations with Fire Chief Mike Spanknebel regarding identifying staff to administer the tests under her supervision.  The North Hadley Fire Station was mentioned as a potential testing site, but Mosler said as of Aug. 18, she did not have any concrete details on a location.

“That will be a free service that would be open to anyone – Hadley resident and non-Hadley resident,” Mosler said.

It was also noted by Select Board member Jane Nevinsmith that two vaccine clinics would be hosted at Hopkins Academy on Aug. 27 and Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Preregistration is required and available at https://tinyurl.com/HadleyPublicSchoolsVAX. Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will be available.

Mosler also stressed to the Select Board the need for more people to vaccinate and the mask mandate does not call into question the efficacy of the vaccines.

“Everyone should understand the vaccine is working; everyone should get vaccinated,” she said. “The vaccine was never reported to prevent infection; it was to prevent serious illness and hospitalization and, overall, it has done a great job of that. With the delta variant, we’re seeing more breakthrough infections, which are infections in people who were vaccinated. This was expected. We don’t know the number of those infections because if you have a breakthrough infection and you’re asymptomatic, you don’t go and get tested.”

While not having exact data, Mosler cited a CDC report that indicated breakthrough infections are increasing. With many vaccinated people being asymptomatic, the risk of spread to vulnerable or unvaccinated populations increases, resulting in the need for masks again.

She also noted a booster shot has been approved for immunocompromised populations.

“For the rest of us, the current administration as of [Aug. 19] is talking about giving boosters eight months after initial vaccination, but that has not been approved or formalized yet. It’s a little bit controversial in the medical community and if it does roll out, it will roll out similarly to the way the vaccine did,” Mosler explained.

The state also recently confirmed the presence of West Nile Virus in Hadley. Mosler said she received a call from the state epidemiologist on Aug. 13 that there was a sample in the southeast quadrant of Hadley that was identified as positive for West Nile, “so our level of vigilance is higher than it was before.”

Mosler added the case was not identified in a person, which was reassuring.

“It was one positive sample. I don’t know what their protocols [are]. I don’t know how many samples they are taking every week,” she said.

Fill noted that information was released to the public on Facebook among other means. When asked to define the southeast area of town, Fill theorized it was the area near Hampshire College and Atkins Farm, but admitted he did not know specifically what the state’s definition was.

Mosler called mosquito activity in the area as “fierce.” She said signs of infection vary and simply said, “If you feel sick, you’ve got to call your doctor. Mosler encouraged exercising preventative measures such as using insect repellent and limiting time outside after dark to prevent infection.

“This is not a treatable disease,” she said.