Great Barrington Urges Masks and Social Distancing

08:09AM / Monday, December 27, 2021Print Story | Email Story

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Great Barrington Board of Health has amended its Public Health Advisory to urge residents, visitors, employers and employees to wear a mask and maintain proper social distance in indoor public settings, regardless of vaccine status.

The BOH also advises wearing masks while outdoors where social distancing cannot be maintained

"While vaccination is vitally important to protecting against severe disease, vaccination is not the sole protection against COVID-19 and serious illness," said Rebecca Jurczyk, health agent for the town.

The BOH also recommends:

Increase ventilation in indoor spaces when two or more people are meeting.
Wear medical grade N95 mask when in indoor public settings and/ or around immune-compromised individuals.
Social distance and wash hands frequently.
Limit travel and gatherings, but if not possible, limit the size of the gathering.
Get tested prior to travel or gathering, and plan accordingly to receive results prior to travel.

At-home antigen tests are available over the counter and PCR tests are available with an appointment at local testing sites. If you test positive with a home test, contact the local Health Department for more information.

In addition, take measures to improve personal health and well-being, by taking care of mental health, getting exercise, managing sleep and contacting your medical provider with any health concerns.

Event planners or organizations hosting events are encouraged to consult with the Health Department to ensure appropriate precautionary measures are implemented.

Signage referencing this advisory can be requested through the Great Barrington Health Department.

Any questions or concerns can be directed to the Board of Health during business hours or at an upcoming Board of Health meeting.

Any questions may be directed to the Board of Health, (413) 528-0680.

Tags: COVID-19,

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Lee Wants Bioremediation in Housatonic River Vernal Pool Study

05:24AM / Thursday, September 03, 2026

LEE, Mass. — The town has asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric to include PCB bioremediation in its vernal pool study on the Housatonic River.

Lee officials are urging the EPA to require GE to add a bioremediation treatment arm to the vernal-pool study or provide the public with a clear explanation for why such testing is being excluded.

"This is exactly the kind of question EPA and GE should be asking before final remedy decisions are locked in," Select Board Chair Bob Jones said in a statement released to the press. "The town is not asking to slow the cleanup. We are asking EPA and GE to make the cleanup smarter, less destructive, and more protective over the long term."

An open house was held in Pittsfield earlier this summer for the Vernal Pool Pilot Study on Reach 5A of the Housatonic River, a five-mile stretch between the river's confluence and Lenox border.

EPA has required GE to conduct a Vernal Pool Pilot Study as part of the Housatonic River Rest of River remediation, comparing excavation and restoration with activated-carbon-based treatments, including a product called SediMite and powdered activated carbon, the town said.

Ten vernal pools will be cleaned of polychlorinated biphenyls in total, five with excavation and five with active carbon, and seven additional vernal pools will be monitored as controls. Construction will be complete around October, but the pools will be left to their natural processes and monitored with surveys and sampling for three years.

The Lee PCB Advisory Committee wrote a letter calling for the 21st-century approach it said could reduce long-term toxicity, avoid unnecessary destruction of sensitive habitats, and improve the effectiveness of the cleanup.

It states that Lee supports the study's purpose and agrees that EPA and GE must understand how cleanup activities affect sensitive vernal-pool ecosystems.

"The current pilot includes 10 treatment pools and seven control pools, while local officials understand that roughly 100 vernal pools may occur in the broader remediation corridor," the Aug. 27 letter reads.

"That makes the pilot study consequential: the methods tested now could shape how many sensitive wetlands are excavated, reconstructed, treated, or left with PCBs managed in place."

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