Our obligation to provide a safe place of work extends to workplace social events. This means that we also had to take into consideration outside elements that are beyond our control, and we realized that, even with full health and safety rules in place, we cannot guarantee safety for everyone. The last thing we want is an outbreak due to our party.
As much as we would love to forge ahead with our original plans, we know it is not the right thing to do for you and for your families. Family holiday celebrations are in the works, and we would hate to put any of those gatherings in jeopardy as a result of our party.
We also had to take into consideration the position of Rutland Regional, Albany Medical Center, Dartmouth, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, and other local health care facilities. They have collectively been urging the public to take every precaution necessary to help prevent the hospitals from becoming overcrowded with COVID patients. We don't want to add to their stress.
This was a hard decision to make. With the difficulties we faced this year, we felt we deserved a day to celebrate and enjoy ourselves. We were in the full swing of party preparations, and were anticipating a fun, memorable evening. If there was a way for us to safely move forward with the evening, we would have.
