ORANGE — Municipal buildings in town will close starting Monday in the latest attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The Selectboard voted unanimously Wednesday to indefinitely close the buildings and require all business with the public be conducted via phone, email or appointment, with Health Agent Matthew Fortier keeping the board apprised of the number of COVID-19 cases in Orange.
Likewise, Selectboard meetings will once again be held via the online video conferencing platform Zoom.
Fortier and Town Administrator Gabriele Voelker addressed the Selectboard to advocate for closing municipal buildings. Fortier said there were 21 cases of COVID-19 this week and 25 last week.
“(It’s) probably the worst wave, like, at all, in Orange,” Fortier said, adding that Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical advisor to the president, previously mentioned rural communities would likely be hit harder later on in the pandemic. “So you’re seeing urban areas actually aren’t doing too bad in Massachusetts, but the North Quabbin’s doing really bad right now.”
Fortier said two recent cases have involved 2-year-olds.
“The virus doesn’t really discriminate,” he said. “We have a lot of multi-generational households, family that spends time together.”
The Selectboard’s decision had included the town libraries, but the library trustees held an emergency meeting on Thursday and reached a compromise on library operations. According to a post on the Wheeler Memorial Library’s Facebook page, programming — including children’s story times and the LEGO club — will remain, but the building will have a 20-person limit and masks will be required.
Anyone who is unable to wear a mask can get curbside service or home delivery by contacting Library Director Jessica Magelaner at director@orangelib.org or 978-544-2495, ext. 101. Reservations for programs or computer use are recommended.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Fortier mentioned that about one-third of the cases reported since June have been in vaccinated people, particularly due to the delta variant. He said Orange reported six COVID-19 deaths between March 2020 and April 2021. Selectboard Chair Jane Peirce suggested closing Town Hall and other municipal buildings “because the thing we know about the delta variant is that it’s much more contagious than the original COVID was.”
Fortier mentioned coronavirus cases in neighboring Athol are “off the charts right now.” Voelker said this is a cause for alarm because residents of the two towns frequent the same Walmart, Hannaford, Market Basket and other businesses. She said some surrounding towns are reinstituting mask mandates, but she said she thinks private business owners can decide those policies for themselves.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly described which town buildings will be closed. The Orange libraries will remain open to the public, with restrictions.