PITTSFIELD, Mass. (WWLP)- The City of Pittsfield issued a statement Thursday outlining new restrictions and temporary closures in an effort to reduce the recent rise in COVID-19 cases.

According to a news release sent to 22News from Mayor Linda Tyer’s office, since October 22, there have been 169 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pittsfield. The city attributes the cases to large get-togethers in restaurants and large private gatherings held in residences and attended by individuals from multiple households.

Beginning Friday, Nov. 13, all of the following actions will take effect:

1. The Pittsfield Board of Health will be issuing an emergency order suspending
table service at city restaurants until further notice. Local eateries will still be allowed
to provide take-out and delivery service. Patrons should feel free to utilize the city’s
temporary “grab-and-go” zones for food pickup, which were installed this past spring
throughout the downtown. These designated areas offer free and time limited space to
allow for quick customer turnover and social distancing.

2. Pittsfield Public Schools will transition to all-remote learning through Friday, Dec. 4. Current elementary, middle, and high school schedules will be followed.

Meals will be available for children 18 and under. They can be picked up
between 11:45 a.m. -12:15 p.m. at the following sites:
* Conte Community School, 200 W. Union St.
* Morningside Community School, 100 Burbank St.
* Allendale Elementary School, 180 Connecticut Ave.
* Egremont Elementary School, 84 Egremont Ave.
For more information, please visit the district’s website at pittsfield.net.

3. The Board of Health will issue an emergency order stepping back the City of
Pittsfield to Step 1 of Phase 3. Until further notice, the following sectors are no longer
permitted to do the following:

* Indoor performance venues will be permitted to open with 50 percent capacity
with a maximum of 250 people.
* Outdoor performance venue capacity will increase to 50 percent with a max of
250 people.
* For arcades and indoor and outdoor recreation businesses, additional Step II
activities like trampolines, obstacle courses, roller rinks and laser tag will also
be permitted to open and capacity will increase to 50 percent.
* Fitting rooms will be permitted to open in all types of retail stores.
* Gyms, museums, libraries and driving and flight schools will also be
permitted to increase their capacity to 50 percent.

Being a high-risk community also means that the state’s current gathering order changes
in one way. Currently, the gathering limits are:

*Indoor gatherings at private residences is 10.
* Outdoor gathering limit for private residences is 25 people.
* Indoor gatherings at event venues and other public spaces is 25.
* Now that Pittsfield is high-risk, outdoor gatherings are now reduced to 50.
For more information on sector specific guidance, please visit www.mass.gov/reopening.

4. Municipal buildings will be closed to the general public. Community members can
visit the city’s website, www.cityofpittsfield.org, to manage their business needs.

Residents should continue to utilize the drop box located in the rear of City Hall to
submit correspondence that would normally have to be dropped off at City Hall.
Individuals seeking to make an appointment or those with specific questions for city
departments, should utilize the City Hall directory, 413-449-5600, during the hours of
8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday for assistance. To arrange fingerprinting for
firearms, please the Pittsfield Police Department at 448-9716; for licensing prints, please
call 448-9723.

To stay connected to City of Pittsfield updates on the coronavirus, a COVID-19 link is available on
the home page of the city’s website and will feature continuous updates from the city.
The public is also encouraged to use the subscription service to receive a notification
when a new update from the city is available and sign up for CodeRED.