The holidays are upon us, weather has turned colder and we understand the weariness many people feel with the way the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives. The emotional, financial and other challenges are daunting. You may have heard the statement ‘it doesn’t matter if we feel done with the pandemic, it is not done with us.’ This could not be more true.

We are facing an uncertain winter, with cases of COVID-19 rising across the nation, across Massachusetts, and here in the Pioneer Valley. Last week, the Governor issued new mandates aimed to curb the increasing numbers of people being infected and to conserve hospital beds for the growing number of COVID-19 patients who need them.

 At Cooley Dickinson, we are seeing test positivity rise – from a low of 0.2 % in mid-October to 5.1% in the first week of December. As more people test positive for coronavirus we are also seeing more hospitalizations for COVID-19. There were no COVID-19 positive patients admitted from September 9th to October 23rd. Since that time, we have seen substantial increases in the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 each week, a trend that continues unabated. We are fast approaching, or by the time you read this may have met or exceeded, the peak number of patients hospitalized at one time from the spring. This means we are once again restricting visitors and are decreasing the number of elective surgeries requiring hospitalization to ensure available beds and staff to care for COVID19 patients.

With COVID-19 rising so quickly and substantially, we ask you to please redouble your efforts to slow the spread. Follow the Governor’s mandates and all public health guidance: wear a mask everywhere you go, maintain physical distance, always wash your hands, and limit indoor gatherings, for the holidays or any other reason, to your household. Indoor transmission is becoming more common as the weather gets colder and is a growing risk.

There is good news in the midst of the pandemic – good news about improvements in treatment, the possibility of a vaccine – and also about our ability to decrease infections by the choices we make every day. It will take all of us, but we can slow the spread in our community if we all work together.

Joanne Marqusee, President and Chief Executive Officer

Estevan Garcia MD, DrPH, MPA, CPE, CPPS, CPHRM, FAAP

Chief Medical Officer

Joanne Levin, MD

Medical Director, Infection Prevention

On December 1, 2020, with the support of the Northampton Gift Card's presenting Sponsor, PeoplesBank, and media sponsor, The Daily Hampshire Gazette, the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce launched a Holiday Bonus Card promotion to encourage sales through the Holiday Season. Now, when you purchase a $50 or $100 Northampton Gift Card, you will automatically receive a $5 or $10 Bonus Card (10% of the purchased card's value) in the mail. This incentive is available until December 31, 2020 and while supplies last.

As winter draws near, it is more important than ever that we support the businesses that make this area a wonderful place to live, work, and build community.  Bonus Cards are our way of saying thank you for shopping locally this Holiday Season, and all year long.

The Northampton Gift Card program is one of the simplest ways to support local businesses because every dollar you give is fed back into the local economy when used at 60 participating restaurants, shops, salons, and other businesses throughout the Greater Northampton area.

December's Gift Card sales are currently trending 21% above last year, demonstrating a positive response to the Holiday Bonus promotion and the support of the community during this difficult year. Thank you! To learn more about the promotion, and take the pledge to support local, visit northamptongiftcard.com today.

Our dedicated, Hampshire County, tourism website, VisitHampshireCounty.com, continues to draw visitors who are seeking more information or thinking about future visits to the county. The website attracts traffic from in-state (53%) and surrounding areas like Connecticut (11%) and New York (11%), and provides listings of area businesses and attractions, and features a travel inspiration blog.

The county's plug-in to the state-wide My Local MA campaign continues to amass over 200K impressions and 700+ clicks since its launch in late November, and features attractions and virtual programming taking place this winter.

Considering the recent second surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Massachusetts and across the country, the Hampshire County Regional Tourism Council (HCRTC) will assess which marketing programs are appropriate and safe to continue going forward. In the meantime, sights are set on the future of destination marketing for Hampshire County and the Western Massachusetts region as a vaccine becomes widely available and tourism activity begins to resume in the spring.

HCRTC recently reactivated its Advisory Board comprised of representative from all four Hampshire County chambers of commerce (Northampton, Amherst, Easthampton, and South Hadley), business improvement associations, five-college consortium, and area hotels, restaurants, and major tourist attractions. The Advisory Board plans to meet monthly and is looking forward to developing new strategies to capitalize on near-term virtual events, boost tourism during slow periods, and encourage longer stays in the area.

Photo by Lynne Graves Photography. Pictured: community members and local musicians, Kate O'Connor and Rico Spence, outside of PINCH in downtown Northampton.