The following release was released by the Massachusetts Communities Action Network:

Today, a coalition of 22 community groups held a press conference to release a 10 Point Emergency Plan for addressing the rapid spread of COVID-19 infections in Massachusetts prisons and jails. Top recommendations include accelerating the release of those who have reached or are within six-months of reaching their parole eligibility date and granting medical paroles to those who are eligible.

“Compassion needs to be the North Star by which we navigate the crisis. Just as in the HIV epidemic, lives will be lost because of governmental inaction toward a politically unpopular group,” said Michael Cox, Director of Policy for Black and Pink, Boston (formerly incarcerated).

Massachusetts prisons have one of the highest rates of COVID-19 infection in the country. The release of incarcerated people is urgently needed to reduce overcrowding and we must provide people with safe places to go. It is the only effective way to stem the health emergency in our prisons and jails affecting those incarcerated, corrections officers and their families, and other staff.

Currently, it is not possible to maintain social distancing within the Commonwealth’s prisons and jails. According to the MA Department of Corrections, 72% of incarcerated people sleep, and 70% eat within 6 feet of each other. As a result, infections are spreading quickly.

Already, infection rates are high at many facilities. According to WBUR, at MTC Bridgewater 25% of those tested were positive; at MCI-Shirley, 54% of those tested were positive; and at MCI-Framingham, 37% of the total incarcerated population of roughly 200 women were positive.

“Decarceration is not just about public health safety, it’s about being humane. If they were good enough to assist the public, i.e. essential workers, by answering the clarion call to make sanitizer and other protective items available, than their safety is just as important,” said Rev. David Lewis of Pioneer Valley Project and Co-Chair of today’s Press Conference.

“The abuse, neglect, and dehumanization that prisons perpetuate has only been heightened during this pandemic, a time in this country where we have chosen to honor doctors and nurses for saving lives, but Governor Baker, the Department of Correction, the Massachusetts Parole Board have chosen to allow our loved ones behind the wall to suffer and some to die alone. That cannot be the way any longer,” said Jasmin Borges from Families for Justice as Healing.

Governor Baker must take urgent action to halt the rapid spread of COVID-19 in our correctional facilities. Without swift intervention, infections will continue to spread among those incarcerated, correction officers and their families, and out into our communities.

To date, 15 other Governors from a wide variety of states – including California, Illinois, North Dakota, West Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington – have begun to release at least some targeted incarcerated people, but Governor Baker has not yet taken action. 

Data on coronavirus infections in prisons and jails can be found at https://data.aclum.org/sjc-12926-tracker/

As a result of structural racism, significant racial disparities exist between the prison population in Massachusetts and the state’s population as a whole. According to the MA Department of Correction, in 2017 incarcerated individuals in Massachusetts were 49% White, 26% Black, and 23% Hispanic. This compares to the statewide population the same year: 80% White, 8.9% Black, and 12.3 % Hispanic.

“Solitary confinement is a public health emergency in itself. We’ve been fighting to reform this practice for many years. We cannot manage one public health crisis with another. Decarceration is the only way to keep our people safe,” said Cassandra Bensahih, coordinator for Massachusetts Against Solitary Confinement (formerly incarcerated person). She noted that currently most prisons are locked down 23 hours in cells which is like solitary confinement for all.
 
 “Public Health is a field that uses data and evidence.  That is why public health experts in this state and across the country are calling for decarceration.  We know that people who are incarcerated cannot follow public health practices to keep themselves safer and we know that the psychological and physical outcomes of forced isolation and solitary only replace one public health crisis with another.  Decarceration is the best and only public health strategy to protect incarcerated people and communities”, said Carlene Pavlos, Director of MA Public Health Association and co-chair of the press conference.
 
“Governor Baker has not made any type of effort to look at a Clemency application. My time in Framingham was unbearable. I know women in prison are suffering right now while Governor Baker turns his back on their pain. We need to release people right now. We can do so much better than this. We can invest in housing, healthcare, and relief funding for formerly incarcerated people rather than senseless incarceration.”  -Stacey Borden, New Beginnings Re-Entry Services and Families for Justice as Healing

Organizations participating in this Press Conference include: 
Families for Justice as Healing, MA Public Health Association, Pioneer Valley Project, Prisoners Legal Services, Committee for Public Counsel Services, American Civil Liberties Unions of MA, Black and Pink, New England Innocence Project, World Peace Institute associated with Tufts University, National Association of Social Workers, JALSA, Mayor’s Office of Returning Citizens, Greater Boston Legal Services, Progressive Massachusetts, Community Resources for Justice, UU Mass Action, Massachusetts Bail Fund, Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, Coalition for Social Justice,  Unlock Housing Coalition, New Beginnings Re-Entry Services, Massachusetts Communities Action Network 

Ten Actions to Support Public Health Through Decarceration

Decarceration is the best and only way to protect people who are incarcerated, correction officers, and communities during this public health emergency. Urgently releasing as many people as is possible will help slow the spread of the virus and allow for social distancing. Actions that Governor Baker, his appointed Parole Board, and the Department of Correction must take swiftly:

1. Grant parole to qualifying individuals who have reached or are within six-months of reaching their parole eligibility date, review parole decisions for those previously denied parole, and grant requests for medical parole to eligible people.

2. Expedite previously-made parole approvals, and review those whose parole has been revoked for technical violations.

3. Withdraw warrants for minor parole infractions and return people to their home plans.

4. Use clemency powers to release people who are medically vulnerable and whose release would be in the interest of public health and public safety pose no threat to the community.

5. Enable the DOC to similarly utilize its furlough process to release individuals who are within 6 months of completing their sentences or who are medically vulnerable. 
 
Lack of housing should not be used as a reason people cannot be released. The Governor should: 

6. Induce or compel cooperation from public and private educational institutions, and hotel and motel owners to increase available living space to quarantine new releases and those who are homeless. Provide funding for support services, food, security for this housing.

7. Issue guidance to local housing authorities and landlords who contract with them to accept people being released from custody who wish to reside with their spouses, parents, or friends in these settings.

8. Working with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, enable DPH hospitals and licensed facilities to accept those approved for release pursuant to medical parole. 
 
For those who remain incarcerated, solitary confinement is not an appropriate or legal remedy. The Governor should:

9. Ensure that the Department of Correction tests and retests all incarcerated people and staff for COVID-19, and provide everyone with masks and/or shields, safe medication dispensation, soap, cleaning supplies, tissues, extra uniforms free of charge, free phone calls, free emails, and daily outside recreation time.

10. Order an end to the long-term lockdown/solitary confinement conditions as they are an inappropriate means of protecting the health and safety of individuals and a violation of state law and the 8th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Additional Concerns to be Addressed:

Most of the people being held in county jails haven’t been convicted of their charges but are held there because they are unable to pay bail or on a parole violation. Yet county jails are most likely to hold people crowded together.  Sheriffs need to work together with DAs and judges to free many more, as if it were a matter of life and death – because it is.

Bristol, Franklin, and Plymouth House of Corrections also hold ICE (Immigration and Custom Enforcement) detainees that ICE wants to deport. They have not been convicted of crimes yet. Recent pictures at Bristol House of Correction shows a cramped dorm of bunk beds close together which is clearly unsafe for social distancing. Officials including Governor Baker must press Sheriff Hodgson to change these conditions and the state needs to offer testing for all people held and all staff in county prisons and jails.

New Bedford officials reported two more COVID-19 related deaths and 18 new cases since Monday.

Mayor Jon Mitchell’s office reported 18 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases in New Bedford on Tuesday, bringing the total positive cases in the city to 1169, up from 1,151 on Saturday. The two additional deaths bring the total death count attributed to COVID-19 to 36 in the city.

The City of New Bedford has been informed by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services that the state does not intend to pay for the care of MassHealth patients in the medical surge facility located at 4586 Acushnet Avenue. This facility is the second of two surge facilities that the City of New Bedford opened with the help of Southcoast Health and Essex Group Management Corporation to serve patients recovering from COVID-19, while freeing up hospital beds in the region. The explanation offered by the state was that there are now no patients at the Acushnet Avenue facility, and “no further COVID-19 Residents are expected to be admitted.” Full details here.

11 additional cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Fall River, according to the Mayor’s Office. This brings the total in Fall River to 770. The city was also notified of its thirteenth fatality due to the coronavirus. Full details here.

On May 11, Massachusetts COVID-19 cases dropped to 669 – the lowest one-day count since March 26 and a drop for the fifth consecutive day. Total COVID-19 related deaths passed 5,000. Full details here.

More than 20 social justice and prisoner rights advocacy groups will unveil a 10-point emergency plan Tuesday calling on the Baker administration to further reduce incarceration levels in Massachusetts prisons and jails. Warning of a “health care emergency” in correctional facilities, the group said decarceration can protect inmates as well as correction officers and the families to whom they return after work. Full details here.

A group of dozens of lawmakers hoping the state will prioritize COVID-19 testing for vulnerable communities last week called on Gov. Charlie Baker to activate the Massachusetts National Guard to lead mobile testing efforts in public housing, low-income communities, and senior housing facilities. Full details here.

Chris Lisinski
State House News Service

More than 20 social justice and prisoner rights advocacy groups will unveil a 10-point emergency plan Tuesday calling on the Baker administration to further reduce incarceration levels in Massachusetts prisons and jails. Warning of a “health care emergency” in correctional facilities, the group said decarceration can protect inmates as well as correction officers and the families to whom they return after work.

“Social distancing is impossible in prisons, and infections are spreading dangerously fast,” the groups wrote in a joint press release, writing that COVID-19 tests came back positive at a 54 percent rate in the Shirley prison, a 25 percent rate in Bridgewater and a 37 percent rate in Framingham.

Groups involved in the 10 a.m. Tuesday press conference, which will be livestreamed on Zoom, include the Massachusetts Communities Action Network, Prisoners Legal Services, the Committee for Public Counsel Services, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts.

Colin A. Young
State House News Service

A group of dozens of lawmakers hoping the state will prioritize COVID-19 testing for vulnerable communities last week called on Gov. Charlie Baker to activate the Massachusetts National Guard to lead mobile testing efforts in public housing, low-income communities, and senior housing facilities.

Led by Sens. Nick Collins and Jamie Eldridge, and Rep. Russell Holmes, the letter got the backing of the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, and the Massachusetts Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials.

“We know that low-income communities suffer from disproportionate rates of asthma, diabetes, hypertension, and other underlying illnesses that make them more vulnerable to COVID-19,” Collins said. “This is simply a question of prioritizing those vulnerable communities, placing equity at the center of our response to this crisis, and addressing these disparities head-on.”

Eldridge said the letter was signed by 23 senators and 36 representatives, and that it calls on Baker and the COVID-19 Command Center to make the next phase of the state’s mobile testing program one that prioritizes disadvantaged communities and is tied in with the state’s contact tracing efforts.

Matt Murphy
State House News Service

U.S. Sen. Edward Markey was one of a trio of senators to propose an expansive new round of stimulus checks for Americans that would send as much as $10,000 a month to a qualifying family of five.

Markey joined with California Sen. Kamala Harris and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders last Friday to file the Monthly Economic Crisis Support Act, which would send a monthly check of $2,000 to all residents who earn $100,000 or less. The payments would be retroactive to March, and last through the emergency, plus an additional three months. Couples filing jointly could receive $4,000 a month, plus an additional $2,000 for up to three dependent children.

“A single check is not sufficient for households that are struggling during this health and economic crisis. Americans need more than just one payment. I am proud to join Senators Sanders and Harris in calling for recurring direct cash assistance so that Americans have the reassurance that this critical support will continue and that their government will support them,” Markey said.

Republican leaders in the Senate have suggested a pause of coronavirus relief spending for now, but House Democrats are eyeing a fourth relief package that last week U.S. Rep. Richard Neal said he envisioned would include another round of checks, in line with the CARES Act. The CARES Act made one-time checks of $1,200 available to people earning up to $75,000, and carried a total price tag of an estimated $250 billion.

While it was unclear how many Massachusetts families might qualify, the program would provide roughly $600 billion in benefits each month, according to Markey’s office.

Chris Lisinski
State House News Service

Reopening swaths of public life in Massachusetts will play out across four distinct phases and involve new widespread and mandatory safety regulations for all businesses.

The approach, announced by the Baker administration on Monday, could launch as as soon as next week with an initial phase applying to businesses that are best able to limit the type of person-to-person contacts that have fueled the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The broad-stroke framework that Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito outlined would ease forced shutdowns of non-essential businesses gradually over a timeline yet to be determined, building up to a “new normal” once a vaccine or other treatment for the highly infectious disease is available.

Many details about the process are still in the works and will depend on the recommendations an advisory panel will file in one week and on the trajectory of trends in the state’s COVID-19 outbreak. If public health data shows a new spike in cases or increased risks, the administration could order a return to an earlier phase.

“The goal is to begin this process around May 18, but it will be gradual and facts on the grounds will determine if we actually hit that goal,” Baker said at a press conference, noting that Massachusetts has been “one of the hardest-hit states.” “That means we have to be flexible and honest about the fact that the timing and the details of these phases could change depending upon the track the virus takes.”

The virus has taken a huge toll already, causing thousands of deaths, forcing businesses to close and people to make sacrifices, and sending hundreds of thousands of residents into the ranks of the unemployed.

Since its launch on April 28, the reopening advisory board that Polito and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy are leading has been busy. It has met with 44 industry associations and community coalitions and has received written comments from more than 2,200 organizations or employers.

All employers in Massachusetts will be required to follow a set of safety standards unveiled Monday. Officials hope the stricter requirements — which cover hygiene, cleaning, social distancing and business operations — will lower the risk of coronavirus spread and stave off a potential second surge in cases.

To comply with the standards, every business must ensure customers, employees and vendors are at least six feet apart “to the greatest extent possible.” Employees must wear face coverings or masks and wash their hands frequently, and employers have to ensure disinfection of all shared or frequently touched surfaces “at intervals appropriate to said workplace.”

Any workers who display COVID-19-like symptoms should not report to work, the regulations order, and if any employee is diagnosed with the illness, the employer must conduct a round of cleaning and disinfecting.

The administration will also develop additional industry-specific requirements and best practices, likely published in the May 18 report from the panel drafting a roadmap for the phased reopening.

“Part of the reason why the reopening advisory board felt it was important to establish not just industry-specific guidance, but a set of criteria that we’re going to apply to all employers, is so that it becomes, for all intents and purposes, something people think of as standard operating procedure,” Baker said.

On the economic front, pressure is growing. The national unemployment rate jumped to 14.7 percent in April, the largest one-month increase on record, and experts believe Massachusetts has an even higher rate.

Non-essential businesses in Massachusetts have been shuttered since March 23 in an attempt to blunt the spread of the novel coronavirus. Baker’s executive order requiring those closures expires May 18.

Phase one, which the administration titled “Start,” could begin on or around that May 18 date. Officials have not yet published a list of what workplaces will get the green light to resume modified operations, and Baker said Monday that those best able to limit face-to-face interaction will be at the top of the list.

“As we move towards a new normal, we all have a lot of work to do,” Polito said. “I am confident that when we reopen, we will do so in a safe manner for all the people of this commonwealth.”

It is not clear when the state will move to phases two through four — broadly dubbed “Cautious,” “Vigilant” and “New Normal,” respectively — but Baker and Polito said the transitions will depend on whether key data indicators continue positive trends.

Asked how long each phase would last, Baker said other states have embarked on similar plans with stages ranging between three and four weeks and that Massachusetts will “probably work off a similar model.”

“There isn’t going to be a hard and fast on a lot of this,” he said. “People are going to want to see what happens, because for everybody, this is a new experience.”

Non-emergency child care facilities are required to stay closed until June 29 under Baker’s orders, and the availability of those services is essential to support working parents.

“That’s going to end up being part of the conversation as well, and that one will absolutely be phased, because there are a lot of issues there that have to get worked through,” Baker said Monday when asked about daycares.

Working groups within the Baker administration are focused on next steps on testing and tracing, outdoor recreation, higher education, transportation and child care. Gov. Baker says those conversations are “crucial” to decision-making on the economic reopening.

Steps toward reopening come as data shows Massachusetts is trending favorably on some key measures.

The number of patients actively hospitalized for COVID-19 dropped from 3,965 on April 21 to 3,102 on Sunday, according to Department of Public Health https://www.mass.gov/doc/covid-19-dashboard-may-11-2020/download published Monday. New tests are coming back positive less frequently than they were a month ago, with only 9 percent of tests reported Sunday and 11 percent reported Monday confirming cases.

Overall cases and fatalities are still increasing, though, and the death toll surpassed 5,000 on Monday with another 129 newly reported deaths bringing the total to 5,108.

At his press conference, the governor said he was “incredibly heartened” to see progress in western Massachusetts, which suffered a sharp impact in the outbreak’s earlier days, but reiterated the importance of a “sustained trend” before committing to a change in approach.

Tracking COVID-19 infections will play an important role in the transition out of crisis, Baker said, forecasting a “pretty significant growth in testing through the fall.” He said he would offer more details on how testing will be deployed, including use of antibody testing, “when the package is fully developed.”

“We certainly expect that testing has a major role to play in what happens going forward,” he said. “The antibody piece has a role to play, too, but I think we would say for what people are saying it can do and how it can fit in, it has work to do.”

Massachusetts COVID-19 cases dropped to 669 – the lowest one-day count since March 26 and a drop for the fifth consecutive day. Total COVID-19 related deaths passed 5,000.

Massachusetts Coronavirus Update

On May 11, the Massachusetts Public Health Department reported that the state added 669 more positive cases of COVID-19 bringing to total to 78,462. This is a decrease from Sunday’s 1,050 reported cases and a drop for the fifth straight day.

129 new COVID-19 related deaths were reported on Monday bringing the total deaths in Massachusetts to 5,108. As of 4 pm today, 394,728 people in Massachusetts have been tested for COVID-19 – 6,339 new tests since yesterday.

As of May 5, 32,019 individuals in Massachusetts were subject to quarantine with 22,148 no longer in quarantine. 9,871 individuals are undergoing monitoring/under quarantine.

Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced a four-phase approach to reopening the Massachusetts economy amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and published Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards that will apply across all sectors and industries once reopening begins. Full details here.

New Bedford Coronavirus Update

New Bedford officials reported four more COVID-19 related deaths and 109 new cases since Saturday.

Mayor Jon Mitchell’s office reported 109 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases in New Bedford on Monday, bringing the total positive cases in the city to 1,151, up from 1,042 on Saturday. The four new deaths bring the total death count attributed to COVID-19 to 34 in the city. New Bedford officials do not report COVID-19 data on Sundays.

The City of New Bedford has been informed by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services that the state does not intend to pay for the care of MassHealth patients in the medical surge facility located at 4586 Acushnet Avenue. Full details here.

Fall River Coronavirus Update

11 additional cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Fall River, according to the Mayor’s Office. This brings the total in Fall River to 770. The City was also notified of its thirteenth fatality due to the coronavirus. Full details here.

The City of New Bedford has been informed by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services that the state does not intend to pay for the care of MassHealth patients in the medical surge facility located at 4586 Acushnet Avenue. This facility is the second of two surge facilities that the City of New Bedford opened with the help of Southcoast Health and Essex Group Management Corporation to serve patients recovering from COVID-19, while freeing up hospital beds in the region. The explanation offered by the state was that there are now no patients at the Acushnet Avenue facility, and “no further COVID-19 Residents are expected to be admitted.”

The state’s decisions renders it economically infeasible for the operator to open the facility. The primary surge facility, located on Rockdale Avenue, will remain open, and has been serving patients since mid-April. A third regional surge facility, located on the campus of UMass Dartmouth, which originally was not intended to receive patients unless the two New Bedford facilities were full, will remain open, according to the state.

Despite the state’s decision, Mayor Jon Mitchell has announced that he will retain the city’s rights as lessee of the Acushnet Avenue facility, so that it may be reopened as a regional care facility in the event of a future surge of COVID-19 patients.

Today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced a four-phase approach to reopening the Massachusetts economy amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and published Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards that will apply across all sectors and industries once reopening begins.

The goal of the phased reopening, based on public health guidance, is to methodically allow certain businesses, services, and activities to resume, while protecting public health and limiting a resurgence of new COVID-19 cases.

Phase 1 will be “Start:” limited industries resume operations with severe restrictions

Phase 2 will be “Cautious:” additional industries resume operations with restrictions and capacity limits

Phase 3 will be “Vigilant:” additional industries resume operations with guidance

Phase 4 will be the “New Normal:” development of vaccine and/or therapy enables resumption of new normal

Businesses and activities that provided “COVID-19 Essential Services,” per Governor Baker’s March 23rd order, will continue to operate. Certain businesses and activities with a lower risk of COVID-19 transmission will open in earlier phases. Decisions and timing will be influenced by public health metrics for when the first phase of reopening begins, as well as when it is safe to move into concurrent phases.

CLICK HERE for more information about the four-phased reopening approach.

CLICK HERE for today’s presentation from the Reopening Advisory Board.

Additionally, the Department of Public Health (DPH) and the COVID-19 Command Center, in consultation with the Reopening Advisory Board and based on feedback from industry, labor, and community coalitions, has developed Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission as employees and customers begin to return to workplaces during the first phase of reopening. These Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards are applicable to all sectors and industries that will be open in phase one, and create new workplace requirements for social distancing, hygiene, staffing and operations, and cleaning. These standards are being released to give workplaces time to plan and prepare for reopening.

For social distancing:

– All persons, including employees, customers, and vendors should remain at least six feet apart to the greatest extent possible, both inside and outside workplaces
– Establish protocols to ensure that employees can practice adequate social distancing
– Provide signage for safe social distancing
– Require face coverings or masks for all employees

For hygiene:

– Provide hand washing capabilities throughout the workplace
– Ensure frequent hand washing by employees and adequate supplies to do so
– Provide regular sanitization of high touch areas, such as workstations, equipment, screens, doorknobs, restrooms throughout work site

For staffing and operations:

– Provide training for employees regarding the social distancing and hygiene protocols
– Employees who are displaying COVID19-like symptoms do not report to work
– Establish a plan for employees getting ill from COVID-19 at work, and a return-to-work plan

For cleaning and disinfecting:

– Establish and maintain cleaning protocols specific to the business
– When an active employee is diagnosed with COVID-19, cleaning and disinfecting must be performed
– Disinfection of all common surfaces must take place at intervals appropriate to said workplace

CLICK HERE for more information about the Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards.

In addition to these Mandatory Standards which apply to all workplaces, the Reopening Advisory Board is developing Sector Specific Safety Protocols and Best Practices that will detail how particular industries should operate upon reopening.

The Reopening Advisory Board is scheduled to provide its full report to Governor Baker on Monday, May 18th.

New Bedford officials reported four more COVID-19 related deaths and 109 new cases since Saturday.

Mayor Jon Mitchell’s office reported 109 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases in New Bedford on Monday, bringing the total positive cases in the city to 1,151, up from 1,042 on Saturday. The four new deaths bring the total death count attributed to COVID-19 to 34 in the city. New Bedford officials do not report COVID-19 data on Sundays.

22 additional cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Fall River. This brings the total in Fall River to 759. Full details here.

On May 10, the Massachusetts Public Health Department reported that the state added 1,050 more positive cases of COVID-19 bringing to total to 77,793. This is a decrease from Saturday’s 1,410 reported cases and a drop for the fourth straight day. Full details here.