With Amherst, Massachusetts, in the state’s COVID-19 red zone, the town manager says the numbers don’t reflect nuances in the population.
After having one of the state’s lowest covid rates for months, Amherst is now in the worst category — along with neighboring Sunderland.
Amherst town manager Paul Bockelman said most of Amherst’s 56 active cases, as of Sunday, appear to be UMass students living off-campus.
“It is what we feared,” he said.
Even so, given the concentration of COVID-19 among students, Bockelman said it’s not fair to paint the entire town as a red zone.
“People might be hesitant to come to Amherst to have a meal or get takeout,” he said. “That should not be a concern to people.”
Bockelman is among several municipal leaders calling on state officials not to count large institutions, like colleges and jails, when determining a community’s COVID risk. He said the "red" zone designation also doesn't take into account the fact that UMass does a lot of testing, which he said leads to a higher count of cases.
Bockelman also wants UMass to be more aggressive in COVID containment. He said he's asked UMass to require off-campus students to get tested twice weekly, as on-campus students are. UMass has said its voluntary policy is working.
Bockelman has requested the state set up a testing location in Hampshire or Franklin county so community members can get tested more easily. The nearest testing site for Amherst is in Holyoke.