Effective Monday, March 16, 2020, all Northampton Municipal Buildings, including the Senior Center, will be closed to the public and both our school districts, Northampton Public Schools and Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School will close for two weeks.
While there are no confirmed cases of the virus currently in Hampshire county, due to the lack of available testing we have to assume the disease is more widespread and take preventive measures. We have learned from other countries and other states that the best strategy for slowing the spread of the virus is social distancing...”
If you need to conduct business with one of our city departments, please call or email them for instructions. We will be posting additional updates on our website soon...”
This situation is rapidly moving, but my initial guidance is as follows:
The buildings are closed to public business, but all city workers will be expected to report to work as usual
You may still receive deliveries or conduct other activities that support the work of city government.
Finance Director Susan Wright has determined that for the downtown campus, all payments that cannot be made electronically or any forms or documents that need to be submitted to the city can be deposited in the Treasurer’s Office dropbox by the public
We are working with the Health Department, the Finance Director, and Human Resources to provide more information on how to respond to city employees who are sick or who receive a Board of Health or DPH quarantine order
Beyond these initial steps, department heads should be working to identify any challenges that arise from closing our buildings to the public and contact the Mayor’s Office for assistance with solutions.
More information to follow as soon as we have it.
More information: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
