Colin A. Young
State House News Service

State public health officials reported nine additional deaths and more than 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, the greatest single-day increase in the number of cases yet seen in the Bay State.

There are now 4,257 confirmed cases of the coronavirus-caused illness in Massachusetts, an increase of 1,017 or about 31 percent from Friday, the Department of Public Health announced. The state also announced nine new COVID-19 deaths, bringing the fatality count to a total of 44.

It has been 56 days since Massachusetts announced the first positive case of COVID-19 in the state on Feb. 1.

The nine Massachusetts residents who recently died of COVID-19 were: an Essex County woman in her 60s who had pre-existing conditions and was hospitalized; a Suffolk County woman in her 80s who had pre-existing conditions and was hospitalized; a Worcester County man in his 80s who had pre-existing conditions and was hospitalized; a Norfolk County woman in her 80s; a Hampden County man in his 70s who had pre-existing conditions and was hospitalized; a Hampden County man in his 80s who had pre-existing conditions; a Norfolk County man in his 80s; a Worcester County woman in her 50s who was hospitalized; and a Hampden County woman in her 90s, according to DPH.

As of midday Saturday, 35,049 Massachusetts residents had been tested for COVID-19, an increase of 5,678 over Friday. As of Saturday, a little more than 12 percent of tests conducted resulted in confirmation of a case of COVID-19.

On Saturday morning, the governor and First Lady Lauren Baker made a visit to the Red Cross donation center in Dedham to urge Massachusetts residents to donate blood, calling it a way to save lives as the state strives to prevent its health care system from becoming overwhelmed by the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic.

Baker addressed the news that broke late Friday of Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel having tested positive for COVID-19, saying that she is a “rabid distancer” who stayed apart from others. He said he was not among Bharel’s close contacts traced by public health officials and that he has not been in the same building as Bharel in about a week.

The governor said Saturday that he has not been tested himself, has not developed any symptoms and that his temperature was 97.7 degrees when the Red Cross checked it before allowing him to donate blood Saturday.

Also Saturday morning, the White House announced that President Donald Trump had approved the disaster declaration requested Thursday by Baker, opening a spigot for more federal funding to supplement local COVID-19 efforts in the Bay State.

The Baker administration said that the disaster declaration means that “affected local governments, state agencies and certain private non-profit organizations statewide will be reimbursed for 75% of their costs associated with response and emergency protective measures.” It also means that the Mass. Department of Mental Health will receive federal aid to “assist individuals and families in recovering from the psychological effects of the COVID-19 outbreak through electronic phone and chat technology.”

by Bonnie Boerl, MD

In this time of great uncertainty and fear, many of us wonder how we can help. Our healthcare providers are facing a critical shortage of Personal Protective Equipment, PPE. While the average person may not have N95 masks, face shields, or gowns to donate, they may have a skill that can help our healthcare providers and folks who are working to keep the necessities of modern life going, such as drivers for Meals on Wheels.

I am the medical liaison for #NBStrong, a group formed by local residents to help local residents. As part of this role, I am coordinating the production, collection, and distribution of cloth masks. While a cloth mask is not the gold standard and will not provide 100% protection from COVID-19, the coronavirus responsible for the current pandemic, it does serve many roles. Healthcare providers are using cloth masks to supplement our nation’s current shortage of N95 masks. Cloth masks can also be washed and safely reused. Patients who are coughing or sneezing are likewise using cloth masks in order to reduce the spread of infectious secretions, thereby protecting our brave healthcare professionals, as well as the most vulnerable members of society.

We are looking for volunteers to help sew cloth masks. We have set a goal of 500 masks to be distributed in the next six weeks. We have supplies we can provide if needed and we will provide instructions on how to make them. Finished masks will be picked up and distributed in accordance to social distancing best practices.

If you are able to help us, please join our dedicated Facebook group, NB Masks, or contact me at BonnieBoerl@gmail.com or (774) 444-0303.

As always, remember to cover your cough or sneeze, wash your hands well and often, and observe the critical social distancing guidelines.

Bonnie Boerl, MD has been a New Bedford resident since 2014. She specializes in Physician-Patient Communication and works as a patient and family advocate. Dr. Boerl lives with her husband, Chris, and two sons.

By Katie Lannan
State House News Service

Governor Charlie Baker made an appeal Saturday for Massachusetts residents to donate blood, calling it a way to save lives as the state strives to prevent its health care system from becoming overwhelmed by the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic.

The visit Baker made alongside First Lady Lauren Baker to the Red Cross donation center in Dedham was his first media appearance since Public Health Commissioner Dr. Monica Bharel announced Friday night she had tested positive for COVID-19. Bharel said she was experiencing mild symptoms and would work remotely while recuperating at home.

Baker on Saturday described Bharel as a “rabid distancer” who stayed apart from others. He said he and Bharel had not been in the same building in about a week, and that he was not among the close contacts whom health officials reached out to after Bharel received her test results.

He again said that he had not been tested for the virus because he is not experiencing symptoms. When the Bakers had their temperatures checked before giving blood Saturday, his was 97.7 degrees, the governor said.

The pre-donation temperature check is one precaution Red Cross officials said they are taking to ensure safe donations, along with social distancing efforts among donors and between donors and staff.

Lauren Baker, who serves on the board of directors for the Massachusetts region of the Red Cross, said hundreds of blood donations need to be collected each day to meet the needs of Massachusetts hospitals.

“If you’re healthy and you want to do it, please don’t be afraid,” she said. “Please make an appointment. Please donate blood. Every effort helps.”

Potential donors can visit the American Red Cross’s website, fill out a questionnaire and, if they qualify, set up an appointment at a local donation site. Anyone who has traveled to China, Iran, Italy or South Korea, or had contact with a person who has the coronavirus, will be asked to postpone their donation for 28 days.

With most workplaces, schools, community centers and other places that would typically host blood drives now closed, Holly Grant, CEO of the American Red Cross of Massachusetts, said there are 300,000 units of blood that have gone uncollected nationally because of the coronavirus. Each unit of blood can save up to three lives.

In Massachusetts, she said the number of uncollected donations “is hovering between” 5,500 and 6,000.

“But as we move forward, we know that there are going to be less people who are going to be able to donate because of the coronavirus, so we’re working really hard to ensure and invite those people who are healthy to come out and donate, because we know that we’re going to be in this situation now for weeks and months to come,” Grant said.

Saturday marked the 19th day of a state of emergency that Baker declared around the coronavirus. As of Friday afternoon, there were 3,240 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, including 35 deaths and at least 288 people who had been hospitalized.

Baker said that the steps the state has taken over the last few weeks — unprecedented measures like ordering the closure of schools and non-essential businesses and advising residents to stay in their homes — have been made with two goals in mind.

First, he said, is to “try to keep people apart from one another to the fullest extent that we possibly can” to slow the spread of the highly contagious disease. The second is to stretch out that spread over a longer period of time, in hopes of keeping it within the capacity of the state’s health care system.

In hard-hit countries like Italy, Baker said, people with “solvable and curable” medical conditions didn’t get what they needed because the system was overwhelmed.

“You are, in many respects, by donating blood making it possible for the health care system to deliver for people who have conditions and illnesses and circumstances that are eminently treatable if the supplies are there and the capacity’s there to serve them,” he said. “I mean, this really is a way for people to save lives, and it’s pretty much as simple as that.”

The New Bedford Mayor’s office reported that greater New Bedford has approximately 20 cases of COVID-19 with 12 of the cases in the City of New Bedford alone. This comes within a short time frame – just three days ago we reported that the City of New Bedford had 3 official cases of the virus that has now spread worldwide.

In addition, on Friday afternoon, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell issued a statement regarding summer residents returning to the Greater New Bedford area “…in the midst of a global public health crisis, all of us must be mindful of the risks posed by infected individuals traveling here. For those summer residents from outside of Southeastern Massachusetts, we urge you upon arrival to remain on your property for fourteen days and avail yourselves of delivery services for food and other essentials whenever possible.”

As of yesterday, Massachusetts Governor Baker reported that there were 10 more deaths with the state and that more than 29,000 state residents had been tested.

There were 823 new positive cases reported in the state within the last 24-26 hours alone, bringing the total number of positive cases to 3,240 in Massachusetts.

By Matt Murphy
State House News Service

Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, who has been at the center of the state’s efforts to respond to the outbreak of a deadly coronavirus, has tested positive for COVID-19, according the Department of Public Health, and will recuperate at home as she continues to work remotely.

Bharel, in a statement, said she was tested Thursday night and received her results back Friday.

“As the public health commissioner and an essential state employee, I have been vigilant about practicing social distancing from my colleagues and members of the public. My symptoms so far have been mild. I have notified my appropriate close contacts and will rest and recuperate at home, while continuing to carry out my work responsibilities remotely,” Bharel said in a statement.

The Department of Public Health said its offices, which are also headquarters for the coronavirus command center being led by Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders, will be “thoroughly cleaned over the weekend.”

Bharel has been a frequent presence at Gov. Charlie Baker’s daily press briefings since he declared a state of emergency on March 10, and the two appeared live in WCVB’s studios for the Sunday talk show “On the Record” on March 15. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito is also a constant presence at those State House briefings.

Baker’s office said the governor will not be tested as a result of Bharel’s diagnosis, and remains asymptomatic.

“Lt. Governor Polito and I wish Dr. Bharel a speedy recovery and are glad she is recuperating at home,” Baker said in a statement Friday night. “Dr. Bharel is doing exactly what everyone should be doing, which is staying home if you feel sick and taking this virus very seriously.”

The spokeswoman for DPH, Ann Scales, said all of Bharel’s “close” contacts have been notified, and do not include the governor.

“As referenced in our statement, she has practiced social distancing and has not been in contact with him since becoming symptomatic,” Scales said. DPH did not say whether Sudders would be tested.

Bharel is the highest-ranking public official so far in Massachusetts to be diagnosed with COVID-19. Earlier this week, state Rep. Mike Day of Stoneham said he had tested positive, making him the first member of the Legislature to have a confirmed case of the coronavirus.

For the second day in a row, 10 new deaths from COVID-19-related illness were announced by state public health officials, as the number of people tested in Massachusetts grew to over 29,000.

There were 823 new positive cases reported in the state in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of positive cases to 3,240 in Massachusetts.

The 10 new deaths were men and women who ranged in age from their 60s to their 90s and who lived in Bristol, Barnstable, Middlesex, Franklin, Berkshire, and Norfolk counties.

They are:

· Male, 60s, Berkshire County, preexisting conditions, hospitalized
· Female, 80s, Norfolk County, unknown preexisting condition, hospitalization unknown
· Female, 80s, Norfolk County, unknown preexisting condition, hospitalized
· Female, 80s, Norfolk County, preexisting conditions, hospitalization unknown
· Female, 90s, Berkshire County, unknown preexisting condition, hospitalized
· Male, 60s, Norfolk County, unknown preexisting condition, hospitalization unknown
· Female, 90s, Franklin County, unknown preexisting condition, hospitalization unknown
· Male, 80s, Middlesex County, preexisting conditions, hospitalization unknown
· Male, 90s, Barnstable County, unknown preexisting condition, hospitalized
· Female, 90s, Bristol County, preexisting conditions, hospitalization unknown

Thirty-five Massachusetts residents have now died from COVID-19 related illness, up from 25 deaths yesterday.

A total of 29,371 Massachusetts residents have been tested for COVID-19 by the State Public Health Laboratory, commercial and clinical labs, a jump of 5,750 tests since yesterday. The DPH daily online dashboard reflects testing results for 20 clinical and commercial labs performing testing in Massachusetts, in addition to results from the State Public Health Laboratory.

Expanded testing capacity in Massachusetts continues to be a focus of the work of the COVID-19 Response Command Center, and the effort to increase testing capacity across the state will continue.

COVID-19 activity is increasing in Massachusetts. At this time, if people are only mildly symptomatic, they should speak to their healthcare provider about whether they need to be assessed in person. If not, they should stay at home while they are sick. Asymptomatic family members should practice social distancing and immediately self-isolate if they develop symptoms.

In the United States, there have been 85,356 cases of COVID-19 and 1,246 deaths, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Jurisdictions reporting cases include all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands.

In Massachusetts and nationwide, the public is being asked to avoid crowds, stay 6 feet away from others, not shake hands or hug, and call/Facetime and online chat with friends and loved ones rather than meet face to face.

To keep updated regarding COVID-19 in Massachusetts, residents can text “COVIDMA” to 888-777 to receive COVID-19 text message alerts straight to their phone. More information about COVID-19 can be found at www.mass.gov/covid19. For general questions, a 24/7 hotline is available by calling 2-1-1.

The Massachusetts Sheriffs are committed to serving the communities they are sworn to protect. This responsibility includes the health and well-being of their justice-involved populations and the dedicated men and women on their teams of corrections professionals. Every sheriff sees it as their duty to ensure that the public safety and public health needs of all who live and work within their facilities are fully met. That responsibility only grows during global emergencies, and the sheriffs are meeting the COVID-19 pandemic head-on.

Although the authority to release a detainee lies with the courts and the respective District Attorney’s Office, the sheriffs are committed to working with the judiciary as well as Law Enforcement partners to identify appropriate persons eligible for release. The priority of Sheriffs is always to have a re-entry release plan that helps individuals transition back into the community. A lack of community support services, particularly during a public health crisis, could set individuals and the communities up for failure.

The Massachusetts Sheriffs and their staff are working tirelessly to safely manage their staff and inmate populations and to curb the spread of COVID-19 to their county jails and houses of correction. They provide an exceptional level of care in their facilities, and are prepared for public health scenarios such as this. The sheriffs have implemented proactive and strategic steps to limit the transmission of COVID-19 including:

• Providing in-service training on infectious diseases and emergency preparedness for staff before, during and after this crisis.
• Deploying enhanced intake screening protocols to evaluate new arrivals for symptoms of COVID-19 and limit potential transmission.
• Providing a high level of medical care for all individuals while employing specific protocols when potential or confirmed cases of COVID-19 arise.
• Engagement with medical experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) to ensure that their medical practices are maximally effective and responsive to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Encouraging staff and their justice-involved populations to follow the CDC-recommended practices regarding handwashing, social distancing, continuous sanitizing of facilities and general transmission prevention. Signage has increased throughout the facilities to serve as a reminder of these practices.
• Enhancing screening of staff entering the facility.
• Temporarily suspending in-person visits for families and friends while enhancing alternative means of communication. This includes a range of options such as additional phone calls, mail services or, where available, increased access to text messaging and video conferencing.
• Working with the courts, enhancing videoconferencing and teleconferencing technology to ensure that an inmate’s access to the court is continued.

In addition to strategic efforts the Sheriffs have implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their facilities, the Sheriffs are working proactively with other law enforcement agencies and community advocates to review the individualized cases of those in their custody to ensure appropriate care and release information is provided.

It is crucial to each sheriff that every individual leaves their custody with an individualized and specialized care plan. Releasing individuals without that level of preparation would be a dereliction of the sheriff’s duty – and would not set up the justice-involved individual or their communities for a successful reentry.

During this uncertain and unsettling time, we understand many are concerned about the safety and protection of the justice-involved populations. As an association, we share this same concern. No one, however, is more concerned with the health and well-being of those in their care than our Sheriffs. The safety, health and wellbeing of the staff and inmates are always at the forefront of the sheriffs’ minds in their daily decision making. Our sheriffs are continuously meeting and evaluating their protocols relating to COVID-19 to ensure the safety and welfare to those they serve. Should the sheriffs see change in the status of the safety of their institutions they will not hesitate to make any decision or take any measure necessary to keep their population healthy and safe.

Many seasonal residents, including homeowners, visitors and tenants, have decided to return to the Town of Dartmouth several months early. Some seasonal residents may be departing urban areas such as the New York City area, which has a high number of cases of COVID-19. As we are aware, unprecedented efforts have been and are being taken to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Massachusetts and elsewhere.

We are requesting that all returning residents and or occupants from the New York City area stay home for a period of fourteen (14) days. Your first day of arrival in the Town of Dartmouth shall be day zero and the stay at home measure shall cease at the end of the fourteenth (14th) day.

Below you will find a few ways to help stop the spread of COVID-19:

– Stay home which shall include your home and property.
– Have your groceries delivered to your doorstep.
– Avoid contact with others by keeping a distance of at least six feet.
– Do not host or attend social gatherings at private residences during this time.
– Monitor yourself for fever, cough, or shortness of breath, which are a few main symptoms of COVID-19. If you develop any of these symptoms, please contact your doctor by telephone.

Town of Dartmouth
Board of Health”

17 Massachusetts legislators have co-sponsored a bill to move the tax deadline to file state taxes to July 15. As of now, Governor Baker hasn’t extended the tax deadline even though President Trump extended the federal tax deadline to July 15.

The text of the bill:

“Notwithstanding subsection (c) of section 6 or section 11 of chapter 62C of the General Laws or any general or special law to the contrary, Massachusetts state income tax returns may be filed for the 2019 taxable year on or before July 15, 2020, without interest or penalty.”

Cosponsors:

Name District/Address

Carmine Lawrence Gentile – 13th Middlesex
Mindy Domb – 3rd Hampshire
Marc T. Lombardo – 22nd Middlesex
Kate Lipper-Garabedian – 32nd Middlesex
RoseLee Vincent – 16th Suffolk
Ruth B. Balser – 12th Middlesex
Tram T. Nguyen – 18th Essex
Lindsay N. Sabadosa- 1st Hampshire
Tommy Vitolo – 15th Norfolk
Jack Patrick Lewis – 7th Middlesex
Patrick Joseph Kearney – 4th Plymouth
Nika C. Elugardo – 15th Suffolk
David Allen Robertson – 19th Middlesex
Joseph D. McKenna – 18th Worcester
Susannah M. Whipps – 2nd Franklin
Natalie M. Higgins – 4th Worcester
Patrick M. O’Connor – Plymouth and Norfolk

Update: 17 Massachusetts legislators have co-sponsored a bill to move the tax deadline to file state taxes to July 15.

By Michael P. Norton and Chris Lisinski
State House News Service

The federal government last week gave taxpayers three additional months to file annual tax returns, but at the state level in Massachusetts, taxpayers are still operating with an April 15 deadline amid mixed signals from Beacon Hill, where the timing of tax collections is a concern amidst falling receipts.

Five days after the Internal Revenue Service announced the federal filing deadline would be moved to July 15, Gov. Charlie Baker again declined to embrace or reject a similar plan for Massachusetts and repeated that talks are ongoing with lawmakers about the issue.

“We’ve been talking to our colleagues in the Legislature about this for several days,” Baker said at a press conference Thursday afternoon. “It requires a legislative fix to be done, and I think one way or another, we’ll figure something out here, but we don’t have anything to say about it today.”

On Thursday, Baker administration officials declined to say whether Baker could unilaterally move the state deadline or comment on the fiscal consequences for the state. But shifting large amount of collections out of fiscal 2020 and into fiscal 2021, compounding the revenue drop associated with the widespread shutdowns of economic activity, would have a big impact on balancing this year’s budget with just three months remaining in the fiscal year.

After Baker’s press conference, both the Pioneer Institute and the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance renewed their calls for a new deadline.

Massachusetts is an “anomaly,” the institute wrote, as one of only seven states that tax income that has not postponed its filing deadline. Taxpayers should not be penalized, the institute said, for complying with virus containment strategies promoted by health officials and governments.

“The consequences for the state budget may be significant, but the impact of not providing tax relief consistent with federal actions may be more severe. The Internal Revenue Service extended the income tax return filing deadline from April 15 to July 15,” the institute said. “Taxpayers already hit with declining paychecks and retirement accounts should not bear the additional interest and penalties stemming from an inability to meet the April 15 deadline.”

In addition to citing dangers associated with physically delivering tax-filing documents to professional tax preparation companies, the institute noted that some items on the state’s tax return form are drawn from the U.S. form, which helps make the case for piggybacking on the new federal deadline.

Paul Craney, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, said that state officials urging residents to stay home while also still requiring taxes to be filed by April 15 is “tone deaf.”

“Anything the Governor can do to help people keep more of their money at this time should be pursued,” Craney said in a statement. “By extending the deadline to mirror the Federal level, people will have more funds to pay for essential costs in these trying times. What’s more, people won’t be forced to leave their homes and risk infection to comply with the demands of a tone-deaf state government. This will end up saving the state money in the long term.”

Amy Pitter, a former commissioner of the Department of Revenue and the president of Massachusetts Society of the Certified Public Accountants, said earlier this week that the state should push back the tax filing deadline immediately.

“The silence from Massachusetts has been deafening,” Pitter told the News Service.

Tax accountants, like the rest of the workforce, are adjusting to a remote work life, which had made the processing of taxes less efficient. “The pressure on our members is intense. It’s always intense this time of year, but I would say, and I can say it confidently, they can’t get it done,” Pitter said.

17 Massachusetts legislators sponsor bill to move state tax deadline to July 15