Chris Van Buskirk
State House News Service

Massachusetts is on its way to reopening the state’s economy with a detailed plan Gov. Charlie Baker is scheduled to unveil on Monday under which construction projects can resume immediately and some businesses can reopen on May 25 with public health restrictions in place.

The plan, outlined to reporters by a Baker administration official on Monday morning, offers the first glimpse into the guidelines, restrictions, and timeline for reopening businesses.

Progress in the four-phase approach to gradually roll back forced shutdowns of non-essential businesses will be measured against six data points including the COVID-19 positive test rate, the number of deaths from the virus, and health care system readiness. The state’s COVID-19 Command Center plans to release updates every Monday on the six data points alongside their daily numbers.

Each phase will last for a minimum of three weeks with the understanding that government officials could revert to a previous phase at any time. Monday marked the start date of Phase One.

As for who gets to open first, manufacturing and construction companies and houses of worship can resume operations with restrictions, capacity limitations, and staggered start times on May 18. Businesses that were deemed essential will have until May 25 to comply with safety standards aimed at limiting the spread of the virus.

Labs, personal services like hair salons, pet grooming, and car washes, and retail spaces can also open on May 25 with some restrictions. Office spaces in Boston can open on June 1 with a 25 percent limit on the number of people who can show up to work.

Activities and outdoor locations like beaches, parks, drive-in theaters, some athletic fields and courts, most fishing, hunting, and boating will be accessible on May 25, Memorial Day.

Baker has previously emphasized that while some businesses might get the green light to start operations, employees should consider working from home when possible. As expected, much of the timeline for reopening will rely heavily on whether or not key data indicators trend in a positive direction.

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy headed up an advisory board to craft the reopening plan. The group heard testimony from more than 75 business associations, labor unions, non-profits, and coalitions that represent more than 112,000 businesses and more than two million employees.

If the COVID-19 cases continue to trend downward and other indicators are positive the state may move into Phase Two, dubbed “Cautious.”

Restaurants and lodging will receive the go-ahead to open with restrictions and some capacity limitations once phase two of the reopening plan launches. Additional personal services like nail salons and day spas are also included in phase two.

Baker on Monday is also expected to update his stay at home advisory to “safer at home” where people should only leave their house for health care, permitted work, shopping, and outdoor activities. The state advises that people do not participate in close contact activities like pick-up sports games and should continue to use remote modes of communication instead of visiting high-risk friends or families.

When Phase III arrives, residents can expect bars, casinos, and all other business activities to resume with restrictions and capacity limitations. Large venues and nightclubs will remain closed during phase three.

During Phase IV, the state plans to enter into a “new normal” with full resumption of activities and business operations.

Colin A. Young
State House News Service

Cambridge-based Moderna Therapeutics is investing in manufacturing capacity in hopes of producing millions of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, the company said Monday as it announced positive results from the first phase of its vaccine clinical trials.

The company’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, was “generally safe and well tolerated” by eight volunteers who participated in the phase 1 study led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and those eight volunteers produced antibodies at levels at least equal to what’s found in the blood of patients who have recovered from COVID-19, the company said.

Moderna also announced that a study involving mice infected with COVID-19 produced encouraging results. The study found that Modern’s MRNA-1273 vaccine candidate “provided full protection against viral replication in the lungs” of the mice.

“With today’s positive interim Phase 1 data and the positive data in the mouse challenge model, the Moderna team continues to focus on moving as fast as safely possible to start our pivotal Phase 3 study in July and, if successful, file a BLA,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said, referring to a biologic license application. “We are investing to scale up manufacturing so we can maximize the number of doses we can produce to help protect as many people as we can from SARS-CoV-2.”

Word of the positive trial results sent the company’s stock soaring before the markets opened Monday morning on Wall Street. Bloomberg News reported that shares of Moderna were up 26 percent ahead of the opening bell. Last week, Dr. Anthony Fauci singled out Moderna and it’s mRNA-1273 vaccine candidate when talking about the multi-pronged efforts to develop therapeutics treatments and a vaccine for COVID-19.

“The phase one will directly go into phase two, three, in late spring, early summer. And if we are successful, we hope to know that in the late fall and early winter,” Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a U.S. Senate committee.

“Early yesterday morning, Trooper Andrew Zeller, assigned to the State Police Crime Scene Services Section, had just returned from working on a homicide investigation in Dover and secured some evidence at the Medical Examiner’s Office on Albany Street.

Trooper Zeller then stopped to get gas at the J&T Mobil Station at 273 East Berkley Street in Boston. While he was paying for his fuel, a man walked into the gas station and collapsed in front of him. Trooper Zeller alerted emergency medical services and began CPR.

Assisted by Trooper Michael Lane, who responded to the scene, Trooper Zeller administered several doses of the overdose reversal drug Narcan and continued chest compressions until Boston EMS arrived. He and Trooper Lane were able to re-establish a pulse and revive the man, who was transported to Boston Medical Center, where he is expected to recover.”

“Massachusetts Environmental Police found an individual in Swansea with 250-pounds of live horseshoe crab in their vessel.

Further investigation found that the individual did not possess a valid permit or letter of acknowledgment to catch horseshoe crabs. The individual was charged for commercially fishing without a permit and for numerous safety violations.

All crabs were found to be alive and were safely returned to the waters of the Commonwealth.”-Massachusetts Environmental Police.

A Rhode Island man was sentenced May 13 in federal court in Boston for his role in a fentanyl and carfentanil distribution conspiracy.

Robert Soucy, 26, of Providence, R.I., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 16 months in prison and six years of supervised release. In February 2020, Soucy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl, 10 grams or more of acetyl fentanyl, and carfentanil.

On May 2, 2019, Soucy delivered fentanyl and heroin to an undercover officer. A subsequent test confirmed that the white powder Soucy claimed was fentanyl actually contained .32 grams of carfentanil and that the brown powder Soucy claimed was heroin was actually .4 grams of fentanyl. Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid that is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl, which itself is 50 times more potent than heroin.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division made the annoucement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Graber of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit prosecuted the case.

The Baker-Polito Administration Sunday announced $56 million to combat urgent food insecurity for some Massachusetts families and individuals as a result of COVID-19. This funding is consistent with findings of the Food Security Task Force, which was convened by the Massachusetts COVID-19 Command Center in response to increased demands for food assistance. The task force is comprised of a broad group of public and private members charged with ensuring food insecurity and food supply needs are addressed during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

“These funds jump start some of the recommendations to address urgent needs and food supply chain issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic for communities across the Commonwealth,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “While COVID-19 has had a statewide impact, some of our communities and residents who have historically experienced food insecurity have been even more disproportionately impacted.”

“Our Administration has always been focused on supporting residents and families dealing with food insecurity, especially now during the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “We thank the Food Security Task Force for their work on these important issues, and are glad to make these crucial investments.”

The Administration will continue to utilize the Food Security Task Force and work with the Legislature to address food security issues going forward.

“Longstanding food assistance programs including the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infant and Children’s Program (WIC) are experiencing significant increases in assistance applications. In addition, community-based food banks are seeing skyrocketing demand and local grocers and farmers are struggling to meet the needs of consumers,” said COVID-19 Command Center Director and Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders. “I am appreciative of the task force’s practical recommendations to meet immediate needs as well as the longer-term solutions.”

“We are pleased to provide new funding to a wide array of programs and initiatives in order to help ensure individuals and families have access to affordable, nutritious food during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Secretary of Administration and Finance Michael J. Heffernan. “This funding builds upon other critical COVID-19 resources which are being distributed by the Administration in partnership with the Legislature, including the $502 million in federal Coronavirus Relief Funds which will support important municipal initiatives, such as food assistance, during this public health crisis.”

“Increasing food security is essential to protecting the health of Massachusetts residents, and the funding and recommendations made available through the Task Force will help meet greater demand for nutritional assistance among vulnerable populations and those struggling with the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Kathleen Theoharides. “The ongoing crisis has also highlighted the importance of reinforcing our local food supply chain, and this investment from the Baker-Polito Administration will provide needed capital to the farmers, fishermen, food banks, and distributors that are helping the Commonwealth respond to this unprecedented public health emergency.”

In less than a month, the Food Security Task Force, which was convened on April 22, synthesized and prioritized more than 80 recommendations into the following four key actionable categories:

– Develop and implement an emergency food program
– Fortify the food bank system
– Maximize federal resources for food and nutrition
– Reinforce and redeploy the food system infrastructure

As the task force continues its work going forward, today the Administration announces:

A $36 million COVID-19 Food Security Infrastructure Grant Program with a goal of ensuring that individuals and families have access to food. Eligible services include:

– Increasing capacity for food direct delivery;
– Increasing capacity of food banks and food pantries;
– Increasing capacity of local food distribution partners;
– Innovative solutions to enable those receiving SNAP and WIC benefits to receive food more easily;
– Innovative solutions for urban farming and
– Farms, retailers, fisheries and other food system businesses to help them adapt to the disruptions and to allow them to provide greater access to local food.

$5 million increase for the Healthy Incentives Program to meet increased demand for local produce and to increase access points that process SNAP and HIP benefits.

$12 million for the provision of 25,000 family food boxes per week through a regional food supply system. Each family food box contains 30 to 35 meals. Food boxes would be distributed throughout the state to food pantries.

$3 million in funding as an immediate relief valve to food banks.

The work of the task force builds on Massachusetts’ initiatives to increase access to food, including establishing emergency food distribution sites and school meal sites for food distribution, implementing Pandemic EBT to provide food to 500,000 youth who usually receive free or reduced priced lunch, distributing additional SNAP benefits to households, requesting online EBT purchasing approval from the federal government, and streamlining food benefit program administration.

Additionally, the Commonwealth recently released funding from the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund to local cities and towns of up to $502 million and highlighted food insecurity as an eligible program.

Reporting up to the COVID-19 Command Center and Secretary Sudders, the work of the Food Security Task Force will continue as a private-public partnership, chaired by Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides, Department of Transitional Assistance Commissioner Amy Kershaw and Jill Shah, President of the Shah Family Foundation.

Cannabis is legal for adult use in Massachusetts but the recent restrictions on recreational use have made it difficult for many citizens to obtain marijuana legally. A simple alternative is to get your MMJ card. Our friends over at Growing in Health can get you started. Here are some excellent reasons to get your medical card:

1. No Taxes! When you have a Massachusetts medical marijuana card, your approved medical condition qualifies you to pay no state sales tax on your dispensary purchases.

2. Unlimited Plant Count

3. Up to 10oz on your person.

4. Access to Cannabis during Covid outbreak. Help support the dispensaries that are open for business. 35% of medical grade cannabis must be reserved for medical patients!

5. New processing speed get temporary card that day, no waiting for weeks!

6. Delivery! Medical marijuana products can be delivered to your door, recreational marijuana products can’t.

Qualifying conditions to become a medical marijuana patient in Massachusetts include:

Cancer
Glaucoma
HIV/AIDS
Hepatitis C
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/Lou Gehrig’s disease
Crohn’s disease
Parkinson’s disease
Multiple sclerosis
Other debilitating conditions as determined in writing by a qualifying patient’s certifying physician.

REGISTER FOR YOUR MMJ CARD WITH Growing in Health. Call: (508) 465-6500
Need a Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Card while recreational dispensaries are closed? Tele-Renewals Now Available!

319a Union Street
Mon-Sat 10am-7pm
Sunday 12pm-5pm

Katie Lannan
State House News Service

The Bedford VA reported Friday that it has had a total of 41 deaths linked to COVID-19, including its first employee death.

That total includes 22 deaths at the Bedford VA Medical Center, 12 deaths of Bedford patients at other medical locations, and six outpatient veterans. The Bedford VA’s last update, published Monday, had tallied a total of 28 deaths. Fifty-six inpatient veterans, 18 outpatients, and 19 employees were positive for COVID-19 as of Saturday, the Bedford VA said in its Friday update.

“We continue to see residents of our Community Living Centers ‘recover,’ having been designated as ‘clinically resolved’ from their previous COVID-19 positive diagnosis,” the update said. “Recovered patients are transferred to designated recovery care units within the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital here.”

Chris Lisinski
State House News Service

Cities and towns with the highest rates of COVID-19 infection in the latest round of state data continued to have larger nonwhite populations and lower incomes, while Chelsea remained a hotspot with a rate nearly twice that of any other community.

Through 12 p.m. Wednesday, the Department of Public Health reported 2,412 cases in Chelsea, a rate of about 6,403 infections per 100,000 residents. The second-highest rate in the state was in Brockton with 3,490 infections per 100,000 residents.

In terms of overall cases, Boston still has the largest outbreak: its 11,551 cases through Wednesday were nearly three times as many as the 3,549 in Worcester, which has the second-largest total of confirmed cases. Nine of the 10 communities with the highest case rates — Chelsea, Brockton, Everett, Lynn, Lawrence, Revere, Randolph, Lowell and Stoughton — have populations where the percentage of nonwhite residents is higher than the statewide average of 20.7 percent, and five of them have majority nonwhite populations, according to Census data. The only exception in the top 10 is Danvers, which reported a rate of 2,157 cases per 100,000 people and has a population that is 93.4 percent white.

Katie Lannan
State House News Service

A group of eight House Democrats asked Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday to extend his administration’s stay-at-home advisory and closure of most businesses beyond its current May 18 lapse date. Baker’s economic reopening advisory board is set to issue its report Monday, and Baker has said he envisions beginning a gradual process of allowing some businesses to resume operations around that date.

In a letter to Baker, the lawmakers — Reps. Mike Connolly, Lindsay Sabadosa, Christine Barber, Michelle DuBois, Nika Elugardo, Jack Lewis, Maria Robinson and Tami Gouveia — outline a series of concerns, including the continued rise in COVID-19 case counts.

“We recognize general improvement in the overall COVID-19 trends and are grateful for the sacrifices that Commonwealth residents have been making,” the letter says. “And while we are cognizant of the hardships people continue to endure, we think it would be premature to allow the Stay-At-Home Advisory to expire on Monday, May 18th. Furthermore, the current plan — to start reopening the economy less than one day after the Reopening Advisory Board releases its guidance — is confusing to many of our constituents and businesses. This confusion will result in poor public health choices and is deeply concerning to us as legislators.”