Town of Great Barrington staying on top of COVID-19 situation

To the editor:

Wednesday morning, I sat in on a meeting of Great Barrington’s emergency task force. I was impressed. The town is as on top of this ever-changing situation as possible.

In the room with the town manager and assistant town manager, (sitting at least 6 feet apart from one another) were people representing police, fire, public works, senior center, library, health department, Fairview Hospital, Berkshire Commons, Simon’s Rock, Berkshire Hills Regional School District, Southern Berkshire Ambulance and the selectboard.

Everyone was reviewing their department needs and responses. All decisions were discussed and evaluated and compared with state recommendations. It isn’t an easy or obvious task to weigh the risk of spreading the virus vs. real needs of the public (food, medical treatment, etc.). Every decision has legal restrictions and economic fallout. Every decision has costs and benefits.

You know how I say “It’s Not That Simple.” This is really not.

There are no obvious answers. The questions are often not even obvious. But there is a team of people talking frequently (as of now, no longer in the same room), to try and keep us as safe as possible

Ed Abrahams
Great Barrington

The writer is vice chair of the Great Barrington Selectboard.