The Massachusetts Department of Public Health today announced five new presumptive positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed or presumptive positive cases in Massachusetts to 13. The cases include four people from Middlesex County: one woman in her 40s, one woman in her 50s, one man in his 40s and another man in his 60s. The five cases also include one man from Berkshire County in his 60s.

Of these five cases, three had a direct connection to the Biogen employee conference last week, one had recent international travel that included northern Italy, and the fifth case is still under investigation.

The State Public Health Lab’s result is considered “presumptive positive” and the specimens will now be sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmation.

The risk of COVID-19 to the general public in Massachusetts remains low at this time.

The Department of Public Health is providing daily updates on the number of confirmed and presumptive positive cases at mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-cases-quarantine-and-monitoring. Case-specific information will be updated on the site Monday, March 7th.

As of Wednesday, March 4th, 719 people have been subject to self-quarantine in Massachusetts because of COVID-19. Of those, 470 people have completed monitoring and are no longer quarantined, while 249 are currently quarantined. This information is updated online each Wednesday.

For more information on COVID-19 visit mass.gov/2019coronavirus.
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This morning at approximately 2:14 a.m., Troopers assigned to State Police-Norwell responded to reports of a single-vehicle crash on Route 3 Southbound south of exit 16 in Weymouth.

Upon their arrival, they discovered a 2019 Dodge Charger had rolled over and caught on fire with the operator, trapped inside. The operator was deceased at the scene

Preliminary investigation shows the vehicle was traveling on Route 3 Southbound when, for reasons still under investigation, it left the roadway to the left side and rolled over into the center median. No other vehicles were involved in the crash and the operator was the sole occupant of the Dodge.

The operator has not been identified at this time.

The crash remains under investigation by Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police along with the Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section and Crime Scene Services Section, Norfolk DA. Weymouth Fire, and Mass DOT, and the Medical Examiner assisted at the scene.

On Saturday, January 4, 2020, a group of sportsmen legally engaged in hunting were confronted by a local resident in Haverhill. Prior to the arrival of law enforcement, the resident continued to pursue the group in his personal vehicle. Upon their arrival, the hunters spoke with authorities and the resident was sent home. Once law enforcement departed the scene, the resident returned and continued to harass the group.

On Tuesday, March 3, 2020, the resident pleaded guilty to the charge of hunter harassment in Haverhill District Court.

Under Massachusetts law, no person shall obstruct, interfere with or otherwise prevent the lawful taking of fish or wildlife by another. Prohibited acts include, but are not limited to, blocking, following, impeding, or otherwise harassing another engaged in the lawful taking of fish or wildlife.

Punishment for harassing a hunter is a monetary fine up to $500 and/or 14 days in jail. A person who sustains damage from an act in violation of the law may seek civil action for punitive damages.

For more information, please visit: https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIX/Chapter131/Section5C

By Colin A. Young and Chris Lisinski
State House News Service

There are now eight people in Massachusetts who have tested positive for coronavirus-caused COVID-19, including three new cases in Boston, Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Martin Walsh announced Friday afternoon.

The five new positive tests announced Friday more than doubled the previous number of positive tests in Massachusetts. All five people — three who live in Boston and two who live in Norfolk County — attended a Biogen leadership meeting at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf last week, city and state officials said.

“We are fortunate that Massachusetts is home to world-renowned hospitals and leading health care experts that are planning and preparing our communities and providing us with guidance. The general public in Massachusetts remains at low risk, but we are planning and preparing for the potential for more cases to develop here,” Baker said Friday. “I think we all know that this is stressful for people. But health experts have advised that a virus like this is not deadly for the vast majority of people who may get it.”

Baker said the risk to the general public “remains low,” but state and city leaders said they are preparing for the number of cases to continue to grow in the coming days and weeks.

The four cases in Boston include the one federally-confirmed case involving a UMass Boston student who returned from China in late January and has been in isolation since, and three of the five people who attended last week’s Biogen meeting and have tested positive. There are three cases in Norfolk County, including the other two people who attended the Biogen meeting, and the eighth case is a woman in her 60s who lives in Middlesex County.

Local, state and federal officials are cooperating to make information available to residents and coordinate their responses.

“As you can see, this truly is an all hands on deck approach. We’re working together, there is no space between any of us on this issue because there’s such still such an unknown,” Walsh said, flanked by public health and public safety personnel from the city and state levels.

Marty Martinez, the city’s chief of health and human services, said two women and one man who live in Boston tested positive for the virus. All three patients are in their 40s, he said, and are isolated in their homes. Two have symptoms and one does not, Martinez said, and the city is working with the hotel to ensure it has been appropriately cleaned.

“We currently as we speak today and standing here are tracing who they had been in direct contact with over the last 14 days,” he said.

On Thursday, public health officials in Tennessee announced that a man who tested positive for the coronavirus-caused COVID-19 respiratory illness there had recently traveled to and from Boston. Officials Friday said that man also attended the leadership meeting at Biogen.

Though the three Boston residents and two Norfolk County residents — one in their 40s and one in their 50s — from the Biogen meetings are thought to have become infected with coronavirus while in the city, Martinez said it is important to note that these cases do not meet the criteria for community transmission.

“The source of this transmission is known, and it’s connected to a confirmed case of the virus and close contact with that patient,” he said. “As a reminder, a close contact [is] someone who’s had direct face to face contact within six feet of someone for up to 15 minutes. They’ve had to have an interaction with the presumptive case within 14 days.”

Baker said health experts advise the virus “is not deadly for the vast majority of people who may get it,” but decision-makers are still planning for the chance that cases could increase and for the larger risks it may pose to the elderly or those with weakened immune systems.

Officials emphasized the importance of individual-level caution to help prevent further spread of the illness. They repeated what’s become a common refrain: everyone should wash hands for at least 20 seconds, cough and sneezing into their elbows, and remain home when sick.

“Every person has a responsibility to play a part in containing coronavirus and other germs by following some simple steps you’ve already heard before,” Baker said.

Walsh stressed the importance of good, accurate information to keep residents from panicking during the outbreak.

“It goes back to getting the accurate information out to people and not causing panic,” he said.

But at the same press conference, state Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders publicly announced information that the Baker administration later said was inaccurate.

Sudders initially said the three cases in Norfolk County were in two people who attended the Biogen meeting and “a male in his 40s who returned from an organized school trip in northern Italy.” She repeated the information at least once later in the press conference.

But on Monday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced that the presumptive positive case in Norfolk County involved a woman in her 20s who recently traveled to Italy with a school group. Asked about the discrepancy during Friday’s press conference, Sudders said she did not have the ages of patients with her and said she would follow up with the News Service.

A Baker spokesman later clarified that the three Norfolk County cases involve two people who attended the Biogen meeting and a woman in her 20s who recently traveled to Italy with a school group.

At another point during the press conference, when Sudders correctly said there were three cases in Norfolk County, the governor leaned towards her and said, “two,” only to have the secretary rebuff him with the correct number.

Baker is expected to leave Massachusetts on Friday for a weeklong vacation with his family in Utah, where he owns a time-share near Park City. Baker’s office said the governor will be briefed daily on the coronavirus situation while in Utah and will remain in contact with federal officials.

State health workers have the capacity to conduct roughly 40 to 50 tests for COVID-19 every day, and officials have asked the CDC for an increased number of test kits.

The Massachusetts state laboratory, which can process results within 24 hours based on volume, is currently the only location for testing. However, Public Health Commissioner Dr. Monica Bharel said federal authorities will allow other labs to perform the tests “shortly” and are working to permit commercially available tests.

“If an individual feels they need to be seen because of possible COVID-19, they should call ahead because then the health care system, whether it’s a clinic or a hospital, can follow the procedures that are well outlined and well known by the health care system in order to prepare for their arrival,” Bharel said.

While the U.S. State Department has recommended canceling international school trips, Massachusetts officials said Friday that they do not have any plans to shutter popular and crowded local events such as the Boston Marathon or the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Walsh said it is important for venues and event organizers to follow clear protocols on cleaning and offering hand sanitizer, but he cautioned against making “rash judgment decisions.” Unlike other areas that have canceled marathons, he said, Boston is “not there yet.”

“If I’m told by the medical people here that there is a problem having the St. Patrick’s Day parade or there is a problem in other parades, then we will take the appropriate action,” Walsh said. “But until the medical professionals come to us and say ‘we need to shut everything down,’ we’re going to continue just to pass information out to people on what they need to do to take precautions.”

Coronavirus arrived on the American radar with the new year, having emerged first in China in December. By January, it had sickened hundreds and killed more than a dozen people in China as cases began popping up in other countries.

At the end of January, passengers aboard a Cathay Pacific flight from China were screened for possible coronavirus upon arrival at Boston Logan Airport. On Feb. 1, state public health officials announced the first case of coronavirus in Massachusetts: a UMass Boston student in his 20s who had recently traveled to the coronavirus epicenter of Wuhan, China.

That man has been in self-isolation at his off-campus Boston home since late January and continues to recover, officials said this week.

A second case — this one technically a “presumed” positive case not yet confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control — that involved a woman in her 20s from Norfolk County who recently traveled to Italy with a school group was announced Monday.

On Thursday evening, DPH announced the state’s third positive test, this time in a woman in her 60s who lives in Middlesex County and who recently had traveled to northern Italy. That positive test has also not been confirmed by the CDC.

Both women are recovering at their homes, the state said.

On Thursday, MIT ordered that organizers “must postpone, cancel or ‘virtualize'” all on-campus events expected to draw 150 people or more between now and May 15. House Speaker Robert DeLeo’s office did not respond when asked whether the Massachusetts House, which includes currently includes 157 members, is developing any kind of contingency plan in the event that the coronavirus outbreak becomes more serious.

“Public health experts leading the national response expect the disease to spread in the coming days and weeks. While we cannot predict where or when, you should not be surprised to see the number of positive diagnoses rise significantly,” Congressman Joseph Kennedy III wrote in an update this week.

Beginning Sunday, thousands of researchers who specialize in viruses and the spread of infections will descend on Boston for a conference organized by the International Antiviral Society. The Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections at the Hynes Convention Center is planning a special session on Monday at which top public health officials from the United States and China will present the latest information on the origins, spread and status of this latest coronavirus.

Dr. Zunyou Wu, the chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, is expected to deliver a 15-minute update via video chat from China, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, will give a recorded update on the coronavirus outbreak. CDC epidemiologist Dr. John Brooks will also make a presentation.

A 48-year-old Newport, RI man who robbed two Swansea pharmacy clerks was sentenced to serve six to 10 years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Anthony Orr pleaded guilty today in Fall River Superior Court to a single count indictment charging him with Unarmed Robbery.

On September 19, 2017, a black male with a blue poncho, black gloves, and a mask entered Rite-Aid in Swansea. The man approached the register with his hand under the poncho and demanded the clerks open the register. The suspect took the cash from the register and demanded to see the safe. The suspect was brought upstairs by the cashiers to the money counting room. The safe was then opened and the suspect took the cash and ordered the clerks to get on the floor. The suspect fled the store with about $2, 000 in stolen cash.

A Swansea Police Officer heard of the robbery on his radio and moments later, observed a car speeding down the road. The officer pulled the car over and saw black gloves in driver’s pocket. A blue poncho was also found in the car, along with around $2,000 in cash found in defendant’s pocket.

The defendant has served significant prison time in the past in the state of Maryland.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Daniel Walsh and the state prison term was imposed by Judge Renee Dupuis.

“The defendant has a prior out of state conviction for robbery, but continues to engage in the same violent conduct. Fortunately he was held without bail as a danger to the community until the case was resolved. The sentence imposed by the court is appropriate and necessary to protect the public,” District Attorney Quinn said.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Thursday announced its second presumptive positive case of COVID-19 since testing started Friday, February 28, at the State Public Health Laboratory. The woman is in her 60s and lives in Middlesex County. Her recent European travel included northern Italy. She was symptomatic, did not require hospitalization, and is recovering at home.

The State Public Health Lab’s result is considered presumptive positive and the specimens will now be sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmation. This case brings the total number of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts to three – one confirmed and two presumptive positive – since the outbreak started in the US in January. The risk to the public from COVID-19 remains low in Massachusetts.

“We appreciate this patient’s cooperation,” said Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD, MPH. “While the risk to Massachusetts remains low, residents should make sure they and their families are well-informed about COVID-19 and heed the CDC’s updated international travel health alert.”

Since January, Massachusetts has tested 25 residents, including the first confirmed case and the first presumptive positive case.

Going forward, the Department of Public Health will be updating confirmed and presumptive positive cases on a daily basis at mass.gov/2019coronavirus.

As of yesterday, 719 people have been subject to self-quarantine in Massachusetts because of COVID-19. Of those, 470 people have completed monitoring and are no longer quarantined, while 249 are currently quarantined. This information is updated on the DPH website each Wednesday.

Additionally, DPH was notified by the Tennessee Department of Health that its first presumptive positive COVID-19 case was a man who traveled on a nonstop, round-trip flight between Boston Logan Airport and the Nashville International Airport, and was asymptomatic while traveling. DPH is working with Tennessee health officials and the Boston Public Health Commission to identify his close contacts.

The CDC has updated its Travel Health Alert for all United States residents, instructing travelers returning from countries with a Level 3 alert (currently China, South Korea, Iran, and Italy) to stay home and monitor their health for 14 days after returning to the US. This guidance also instructs travelers from countries with a Level 2 alert (currently Japan) to monitor their health and limit interactions with others for 14 days after returning to the US. The guidance advises against any non-essential travel to Level 3 countries.

Coronaviruses are respiratory viruses and are generally spread through respiratory secretions (droplets from coughs and sneezes) of an infected person to another person. Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, and, in severe cases, pneumonia (fluid in the lungs). Information is still limited about how this novel coronavirus spreads. More information on COVID-19 is available at mass.gov/2019coronavirus.

According to the CDC, as of today, there have been 99 US cases of COVID-19 confirmed. Globally, more than 93,000 cases have been confirmed. There have been a total of 10 deaths in the US.

Although the risk of the novel coronavirus to Massachusetts residents remains low, and the risk of the flu is high, people are advised to take many of the same steps they do to help prevent colds and the flu, including:

– Wash hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
– Avoid touching your eyes and face.
– Clean things that are frequently touched (like doorknobs and countertops) with household cleaning spray or wipes.
– Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or the inside of your elbow.
– Stay home when feeling sick.
– Stay informed.
– Get a flu shot.

Clinicians who have patients they think may have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 must contact DPH via the 24/7 EPI line (617-983-6800).

The State Lab has an adequate supply of test kits from the CDC for testing. The anticipated turnaround of test results from the State Lab is 24 hours, depending on testing volume.

Individuals who are in voluntary self-quarantine continue to be monitored by their local boards of health.

People who have recently traveled from an area with widespread or ongoing community spread of COVID-19 and who have symptoms of the disease (fever, cough, shortness of breath) should reach out to their healthcare provider and call ahead before going to a healthcare facility.

For more information on COVID-19 visit mass.gov/2019coronavirus.

A Dominican national was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Worcester for distributing fentanyl and heroin.

Erotides Mendez, 50, a Dominican national previously residing in New York City, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Hillman to five years in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release. Mendez will be deported upon completion of his sentence. In November 2019, Mendez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute heroin and more than 40 grams of fentanyl, one count of distributing heroin and more than 40 grams of fentanyl and one count of possessing heroin and more than 40 grams of fentanyl with intent to distribute. Mendez and co-defendant Albeiro Gomez, who previously pleaded guilty and is set to be sentenced on March 20, 2020, were arrested in December 2018.

Investigators intercepted communications to and from the defendants’ phones which evidenced their drug trafficking activities. Mendez was involved in the acquisition of heroin and fentanyl in New York and the transportation of these drugs for sale in and around Worcester. Gomez was a livery driver in Worcester who used his livery vehicle to procure and distribute drugs, meet with customers and to collect cash derived from drug sales.

In November 2018, law enforcement stopped a passenger van headed from New York City to Worcester, and observed Mendez – a passenger in the van – throw a bag containing approximately 150 grams of heroin from the van. In December 2018, agents stopped a car in which Mendez was a passenger and located approximately 150 grams of heroin and 138 grams of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin.

In connection with this investigation, Freiber Betancourth, of Worcester, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges and was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison. Betancourth distributed heroin and fentanyl from the parking lot of his employer. In addition, Jonathan Bobadilla Rosa pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and identity theft charges and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23, 2020.

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 announcement today. Assistance with the investigation was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bill Abely and John Mulcahy of Lelling’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

On Thursday, March 5th, members of the New Bedford Police Narcotics Unit concluded an investigation into a Fentanyl delivery service being operated out of 56 Durfee Street in New Bedford.

The investigation resulted in the arrest of 38-year old Rodney Coleman of 56 Durfee Street in New Bedford. The Narcotics Unit executed a search warrant at Coleman’s residence, which resulted in the discovery of approximately 39 grams of Methamphetamine, over 9 grams of Fentanyl, 3 Suboxone strips, and $132 in U.S. currency.

Coleman was charged with trafficking Methamphetamine in excess of 36 grams, distribution of class A, and possession of class B. Fentanyl is responsible for 93% of all overdose deaths in Massachusetts.

Coleman is due to be arraigned on Friday, March 6th, 2020 in Third District Court.

The lead investigator was Detective Timothy Soares.

The 43rd Annual New Bedford Half Marathon will take over downtown New Bedford on Sunday, March 15. The race will start at 11 am sharp. Male and female first place winners will take home $1,000. Per the organizers, spectators can watch the beginning of the race on Purchase Street, walk down Union street to approximately the five-mile mark (Rockdale Ave) and then walk back to the finish. Full details can be found at https://newbedfordhalfmarathon.com

Start of the 2019 New Bedford Half Marathon

2019 New Bedford Half Marathon finishline

Due to the expected temperature drop through the evening, the overflow will be opened tonight. All inquiries can be forwarded to Sister Rose House and 1-800-homeless.

All guests should plan to arrive for 6:00pm and the cutoff time will be 8:30pm. Dinner will be served between 6:00pm and 7:30pm and we wrap up between 9:45pm and 10pm.

As a reminder, the overflow will be activated on nights that the temperature is expected to be at 28 degrees or less. If the temperature were to drop below 28 at 4 or 5:00am rather than 7 or 8:00pm as an example, it doesn’t ensure that the overflow would open. All guests are expected to get up at 5:00 am and exit the premises by 6 or 7:00am.

Also, precipitation or snow alone doesn’t ensure that the overflow will open but are taken into consideration coupled with the temperatures. We also view the feel like temps, so as an example if the temperature was expected to be at 30 degrees but the wind-chill coupled with rain or snow presents or “feels like” 25 degrees then the overflow would be activated.

Every year we always have grey area days but we do the best in our judgment to make the right call. On days that we are expected to open an email blast will be sent by 12pm.

Also, 1-800-homeless will notify any callers if the overflow will be open on expected days. This will be our 4th season and with all the challenges at any given time, we are hopeful to continue safe operations and save lives, especially on the coldest nights. We also are looking for extra help, especially if the number of guests expected on any given night reaches 30. We also have 25 guests on the main floor so manpower is very important.