On April 2, the Massachusetts Public Health Department reported that the state added 1,228 more positive cases of COVID-19 bringing to total to 8,966. 32 new deaths were reported bringing the total deaths in Massachusetts to 154.

As of 4 pm today, 56,608 people in Massachusetts have been tested for COVID-19 – 4,870 in the past 24 hours.

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell’s office reported this morning that New Bedford has a total of 42 positive cases of COVID-19, up from the 33 cases they reported on Wednesday. Full details here.

Six additional cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Fall River. This brings the total in Fall River to 37. The Fall River Health Department is in contact with the individuals who have tested positive as well as their contacts. These individuals are in isolation and quarantine. Full details here.

Today, Governor Baker detailed the latest model projections that estimate the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts could range from 47,000 to 172,000 (or 0.7% to 2.5% of the total population of Massachusetts). The models show hospitalizations would potentially peak between April 10-20. Full details here.

According to the CDC, as of April 2nd, the total amount of cases in the country is 213,144 with 4,513 dead.

NEW BEDFORD – On Wednesday, April 1, members of the New Bedford Police Narcotic Division concluded an investigation into an illegal fentanyl distribution service being operated out of 866 Shawmut Avenue in New Bedford.

A search warrant was executed and Narcotic Detectives discovered a firearm and ammunition. 19-year old Brandin A. Gonsalves and 18-year old Janyia Medina of New Bedford, were both arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. Mr. Gonsalves was additionally charged with unlawful possession of ammunition.

Both were due to be arraigned on April 2 at Third District Court. The lead investigator was Detective Lavar Gilbert.

The City of New Bedford has roadwork sites for the upcoming week of April 6,2020 –April 10, 2020 and they are as follows:

Eversource:

Eversource will replace the gas mains at the following locations:

• Hatch St. from Acushnet Ave. to Belleville Ave.
• Hathaway Rd. from Valley View Dr. to Rockdale Ave.
• Sycamore St. from Summer St. to Pleasant St.
• Foster St. from Maxfield St. to North St.
• South Front St. from 460 S. Front St. to Gifford St.

Other:

• Department of Public Infrastructure will be filling potholes on a continuous basis throughout the city.
• Department of Public Infrastructure conducting its annual street sweeping program city-wide.
• The Contractor will continue work to relocate the existing water transmission main at the Tarkiln Hill Rd/Kings Highway rail crossing. There will be temporary lane closures at times during construction. Police details will assist with traffic management and signage will be posted. The contractor will have overnight work from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM on Sunday, April 5th and Monday, April 6th and will return to normal operating hours on Wednesday April 8th.
• The contractor will continue cleaning wastewater piping in the Herman Melville Blvd area.
• The Contractor will be restoring sidewalks at the following locations: Briggs St. from Thompson St. to Rockland St., County St. from South St. to Wing St. and Rockland St. from Crapo St. to Dartmouth St.
• Contractor is scheduled to continue construction of the new pumping station and installation of the site utilities at the Front St./ Elm St. site. Elm St, between JFK Memorial Highway (RTE 18) and Macarthur Dr. will be closed to westbound traffic. Westbound traffic will be detoured via MacArthur Drive. There will be detour signage and traffic controls in place.

* Please note: contractors will continue to follow guidelines and protocol regarding COVID-19 social distancing while conducting work in construction zone.

Due to the current COVID-19 situation the Department of Public Infrastructure will be closed to public entry. Office staff is available to assist by email and telephone.

BOSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration’s COVID-19 Response Command Center today outlined projections related to the anticipated surge of COVID-19 cases in the Commonwealth. The projections are the result of the Command Center’s work with medical experts to complete modeling of the outbreak in Massachusetts. The Administration also detailed its efforts to respond to this surge, including a significant increase in hospital capacity, staffing, and equipment.

COVID-19 Surge Planning:

Modeling and Projections:
The Administration’s COVID-19 Response Command Center has been working with its Advisory Board of medical experts and epidemiologists from Harvard University, University of Guelph and Northeastern to refine models related to the expected surge of COVID-19 cases. These efforts include modeling the surge’s timing, number of cases, necessary bed capacity, and work to find facilities that will meet overfill capacity. The model’s projections are based on the experience of Wuhan, China, but Massachusetts’ trajectory could differ due to lower population density, lower smoking rates, and earlier social distancing measures. The Command Center has also been comparing to experience in other states and around the world.

The model’s latest projections estimate that the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts could range from 47,000 to 172,000 (or 0.7% to 2.5% of the total population of Massachusetts). The models show hospitalizations would potentially peak between April 10-20. The current fatality rate in Massachusetts is lower than other areas – it is approximately 1.5% of those infected. The Command Center is monitoring this statistic closely.

The COVID-19 Response Command Center is working with hospitals to provide them with flexibility to expand ICU capacity. The Commonwealth is asking academic medical centers and teaching hospitals to work to significantly expand their ICU capacity. But after hospitals execute on their surge plans, the model estimates there could be a remaining gap in ICU capacity of more than 500 beds.

Response Efforts:
In response, the Administration is aiming to find or build an additional 750 – 1000 beds in field medical hospitals and other alternate care sites to reduce strain on hospitals as much as possible. Governor Baker and Lt. Governor Polito visited the first of these Field Medical Stations at the DCU Center yesterday.

The Administration has identified additional possible sites for Field Medical Stations including the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, Joint Base Cape Cod, Springfield’s Mass Mutual Building and other smaller locations. The Administration has secured a contractor who can build out sites once a healthcare partner has been finalized.

The Command Center is also securing 1000 beds in capacity for step-down care options in nursing facilities for stabilized COVID-19 positive patients who can be transferred out of the hospital to make room for those with higher medical need.

The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra has found new ways to bring music to our community! You can live stream an array of performances by NBSO musicians from the NBSO website or Facebook page. Performances can be viewed afterward as well. Visit the Events page on the NBSO website: https://nbsymphony.org/events or join in via the NBSO Facebook page where you can comment and read others’ comments: https://www.facebook.com/nbso.newbedfordsymphonyorchestra/live/

Schedule:

• April 4, 7pm: Emmy and the P’s with Emmy Holmes-Hicks (violin), Peter Zay (cello and guitar), and Piero Guimaraes (vibraphone)
• April 10, 7pm: SmorgasBORED with Nicholas Brown and Hunter Bennett, clarinets
• April 17, 7pm: Violin Duos from The Shire with Jesse Holstein and Ealain McMullin, violins
• April 25, 7pm: Works for Solo Viola by Maureen Heflinger, viola
• April 26, 4pm: Piano Trios for the Soul with Emmy Holmes-Hicks (violin), Adrienne Tayler (cello), Andrei Bauman (piano)
• May 1, 7pm: String Trio featuring Emmy Holmes-Hicks (violin), Hannah Ross (viola), and Peter Zay (cello)

Past performances still available for viewing include:

• Fiddle Time with Emmy Holmes-Hicks (violin) and Peter Zay (cello and guitar)
• Dinur on Piano featuring NBSO Music Director Yaniv Dinur

The NBSO is a professional orchestra that annually presents a concert series of classical and pops music with internationally acclaimed guest artists, as well as an outstanding chamber music series. In addition, the NBSO’s innovative and nationally recognized educational programs reach 8,000 students each year. The NBSO is dedicated to building a community of music in the South Coast. Visit www.nbsymphony.org today!

BOSTON — Governor Charlie Baker today issued an emergency order requiring all coastal beach reservation parking areas managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to close effective 12:00 PM on Friday, April 3, 2020 to reduce large concentrations of people at beaches during the COVID-19 outbreak. Additionally, effective 12:00 PM on Friday, April 3, 2020, DCR will open select seasonal state parks early and expand access at other parks to provide additional open space opportunities for residents to enjoy and alternatives to popular state parks throughout the Commonwealth.

Coastal parkways that provide access to state beaches will also be closed to both parking and dropping off passengers. State beaches will remain open and available to pedestrians for transitory use only (walking, jogging, biking, solitary fishing, etc.). A link to find specific parking and traffic restrictions can be found here.

State parks and associated parking areas remain open at this time; however, the public is asked to visit state parks and other open space properties that are located near their homes to ensure social distancing to limit the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, DCR’s agency-owned ice rinks, visitor centers, campgrounds, playgrounds, fitness areas, athletic fields, athletic courts, golf courses, and bathroom facilities will remain closed until Monday, May 4, 2020.

DCR will also be limiting the amount of parking spaces available at certain high-visitation state parks. DCR continues to stress that if a park is crowded, visitors should consider visiting a different location or returning at a later date or time. The state parks system has over 450,000 acres of property, and every region of the state contains multiple parks to explore that may be less busy than others in the area. DCR advises visitors of state parks to:

· Stay within solitary or small groups, and avoid gatherings of ten or more people;
· Practice social distancing of at least six feet between individuals;
· Participate in only non-contact recreational activities;
· Practice healthy personal hygiene, such as handwashing for at least 20 seconds; and,
· Stay home if ill, over 70, and/or part of a vulnerable population.

To centralize COVID-19 updates that impact the state parks system, DCR recently developed a Massachusetts State Parks COVID-19 Updates webpage. Prior to visiting a state parks property, members of the public should review the contents of the webpage. Furthermore, for information about the Baker-Polito Administration’s ongoing efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, please visit the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) website.

The following is a press release from the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office:

“A health care professional working at the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office has tested positive for COVID-19.

The nurse, an employee of the BCSO’s contracted medical vendor Correctional Psychiatric Services, developed a low-grade fever around 6 a.m. on March 25 near the end of an overnight shift. Upon confirming her fever, she donned a ppe mask, left the facility, contacted her physician and has not been back since.

Late Wednesday, April 1, she received a positive test for COVID-19. She has been symptom-free since March 25 and will remain away from the BCSO for the time being.
The nurse worked in the Women’s Center and ICE facility before going home with a fever on March 25.

Information provided by the CDC and DPH indicate that symptoms of COVID-19 exposure are most likely to occur during the fifth through eighth days of the 14-day incubation period, which in this case was between March 29 and April 1.

“It’s encouraging that she’s had no symptoms for a week and is feeling well,” Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson said. “It’s also encouraging that no other BCSO or CPS staff members, nor any inmates or detainees, have reported symptoms.

“We wish her a safe, speedy recovery.”

On Thursday, medical professionals are meeting with detainees in the ICE facility and inmates in the Women’s Center to answer any questions about the nurse’s positive test.
Over the past month, the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office has instituted many protocols to protect inmates, detainees and staff from the Coronavirus outbreak, which include:

· All areas of the facility are being cleaned\disinfected on every shift every day
· Staff members are being screened before entering the buildings; new arriving inmates are being screened before being accepted into custody
· In-person visitation and has been suspended to limit the number of people coming in and out.

Currently, there are no inmates, detainees or other staff members with Coronavirus or showing symptoms of Coronavirus. Any headlines or press releases from political activist organization claiming infections or outbreaks are completely false and reckless.”

New Bedford High School’s Academy of Finance, affiliated with the National Academy Foundation (NAF) has been officially designated as a distinguished national high school program. The announcement was made in a press release issued by the organization, which stated in part that ‘Distinguished’ status denotes the program is at “Model Level for Delivering High-Quality Educational Experiences for High School Students.” The designation was determined based on a visit to NBHS by NAF officials during which they interviewed school stakeholders, reviewed documentation, and observed classes.

Mayor Jon Mitchell noted, “New Bedford High’s recognition as a distinguished finance program is a testament to the hard work of the school’s staff and students, and validates New Bedford High’s status as the best choice for students to prepare for college and the workforce. Programs such as the Finance Academy will prepare graduates by equipping them with the skills they need for the future in an ever-changing world.”

Superintendent Thomas Anderson stated “This recognition underscores the high quality work being done at New Bedford High School; it’s more evidence of the increased learning opportunities and upward trajectory of the school. We are living through very challenging times and this demonstrates how critically important these learning environments have become.”

“I am pleased that our Academy of Finance has been recognized as distinguished, a milestone that was made possible through the work of our outstanding teachers, students and finance industry partners”, said Bernadette Coelho, Headmaster of New Bedford High School. “This distinction underscores why we consider New Bedford High School a flagship high school for the National Academy Foundation, and we appreciate their recognition of the work that we are doing on behalf of our students and community.”

The distinguished level represents the highest level of achievement for a NAF academy.

“Our recent NAF site visit provided the opportunity for the Finance Academy to showcase their outstanding work and best practices”, said Chris Cummings, manager of CVTE programs, noting that teachers from all areas met with NAF officials to discuss how they collaborate with the finance academy staff to develop and implement projects across multiple disciplines. “The evaluators were impressed with how financial instruction is integrated throughout the curriculum”, he added.

One of the criteria in determination of a distinguished NAF program is an active advisory committee comprised of industry representatives and post-secondary faculty. During the visit, members representing multiple South Coast financial institutions shared how they engaged with staff and students, providing curriculum guidance and internship opportunities.

New Bedford High School’s Finance Academy, affiliated with the National Academy Foundation, is part of the school’s offerings of Career Vocational Technical Education programming. In addition to Finance, the school offers career pathway programs in Business, Hospitality, Instructional Technology, Health Sciences, Engineering, Early Childhood Education, and Criminal Justice. For more information about Career and Technical Education at New Bedford High School, please contact Christopher Cummings, Manager of CVTE at 508 997 4511, ext. 20799.

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell’s office reported this morning that New Bedford has a total of 42 positive cases of COVID-19, up from the 33 cases they reported on Wednesday. Yesterday, he reported Fairhaven with 12 positive cases and Dartmouth as unknown at this time.

Yesterday, Mayor Jon Mitchell and the Board of Health have acted to protect residents including seniors in New Bedford, announcing stringent measures on wellness checks, quarantining, and isolation requirements for senior living facilities and nursing homes, as well as lodging houses, in New Bedford. Full details here.

According to the Massachusetts Public Health Department, the state added 1,118 more positive cases of COVID-19 bringing to total to 7,738 as of 4 pm on Wednesday. For the second straight day, 33 people died from the virus bringing the total deaths in Massachusetts to 122. Break out by county can be seen here.

According to Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan on Wednesday, Fall River now has 31 confirmed cases of COVID-19..

Bristol County is now up to 366 confirmed cases as of 4 pm on Wednesday.

Yesterday at 4pm, Massachusetts Public health officials report 33 new deaths and 868 more positive cases since Monday from COVID-19.

Governor Baker has stated on Monday that a surge in coronavirus cases could start to hit Massachusetts between April 7 and April 17, stressing the importance of taking steps to prepare additional health care capacity.

A 22-year-old repeat domestic violence defendant was found dangerous and ordered held without bail at the conclusion of a telephonic dangerousness hearing yesterday in Attleboro District Court, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Jeremy Logan, who was already on probation for another domestic violence-related conviction from Attleboro District Court and two other cases out of Wrentham District Court, was arrested by Attleboro Police on Sunday night after received a 911 call from a neighbor at around 9:45.

Police responded to an Attleboro residence and located the victim, who was visibly upset and shaking. The victim told police that she and the defendant, who is her boyfriend, got into an argument about where to order take out food from. The victim attempted to retreat from the argument, but the defendant allegedly pushed her, began strangling her and struck her in the back. Responding officers noted redness and swelling along the victim’s back.

The defendant was arraigned on a charge of assault and battery on a family or household member on Monday, at which point prosecutors requested that he be held overnight for a dangerousness hearing.

Tuesday’s dangerousness hearing was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Natasha Acevedo and the ruling to find the defendant dangerous was issued by Judge Daniel O’Shea. The defendant will now be held in jail without bail for up to 120 days.

All defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

“I am pleased the court held the defendant without bail as a danger to the victim and community. The defendant clearly does not belong out on the street. He is on probation for the same conduct, not only in Attleboro, but on two other cases another court. He can’t control himself,” District Attorney Quinn said.