SOUTH HADLEY — The latest COVID-19 figures released in South Hadley show that the town has approximately 30 cases that are either confirmed, suspected or under investigation.
The town posted this figure on its website on Thursday, though no breakdown of how many cases were confirmed, suspected or pending was included. Town Emergency Management and Health Director Sharon Hart could not be reached to clarify these details on Monday or Tuesday.
At a special Select Board meeting on Thursday, held virtually, Hart noted that the number of confirmed or possible cases has been on the rise in town, following state and countywide trends.
“It’s sad to see those numbers go up,” Hart said at the meeting. “We were getting one (case) a day, one every other day, then it started two, and just recently, they’re coming in at three, four a day. It’s hard.”
The Select Board also discussed the town’s recent decision to close outdoor recreation facilities such as town hiking trails and parks, which Select Board members said has confused or upset some residents.
But according to Hart, this measure is necessary to halt the spread of the virus.
“We were getting complaints, not just from residents, but police were noticing at trailheads there were cars there, people congregating, no one’s doing the social distancing on the path,” Hart said.
Select Board members Jeffrey Cyr and Christopher Geraghty questioned the effectiveness of the decision, and suggested closing town trails could lead to increased traffic on town sidewalks or in trails outside of South Hadley.
But Hart said South Hadley must remain “proactive about doing the right thing” in the coming weeks or months.
“It works. It worked in Italy,” Hart said, referring to the hard-hit country’s stricter quarantine rules, which included limitations on outdoor activities. “Everybody stayed home, and until they stayed home, it wasn’t working.”
Hart said that stricter restrictions on outdoor activities could also be mandated in the future at the statewide level as the pandemic progresses.
Select Board Chairwoman Andrea Miles said she agreed with the decision, adding that sidewalks leave more room to distance. While health officials urge people to stay at least six feet apart, she noted, some trails are not even 6 feet wide.
“I think in this case, we definitely want to err on the side of doing too much, rather than doing too little, because it’s hard to recover ground,” Miles said.