Crane Stationery Co. restarted operations Friday in defiance of North Adams Mayor Thomas Bernard, claiming that it isn't required to prove its printing business qualifies as "essential" under pandemic rules.

The Berkshire Eagle reports that employees returned to work at Crane buildings in the city's industrial park five days after the company called off a planned reopening because of conditions put in place by the Mayor.

An employee of the state Department of Labor Standards certified Saturday that some aspects of Crane's business can be considered "essential," while others would fail to qualify.

So should Crane have reopened even though it does not have any plan in place to keep its workers safe?

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