New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
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.”
As long as ALL the politicians give up their pay and benefits until we reopen. The virus is real, but this is pure bull***t. FYI….I’m 66 years old and a cancer survivor.
I also believe that the reopening date of Massachusetts should be pushed ahead for at least another month and at that time reconsider the options. People are not yet mentally able to return to an environment where we could suffer from a massive new wave of the COVID 19. People are not going to go back to restaurants, or any closed in spaces!! So many people are at such a high risk for contracting this horrific virus. We need to be patience and reopen under better circumstances. The dead people cannot come back, but the economy can. We are #MASSACHUSETTSSTRONG.
Sue, we cannot
“Push it ahead” the 18th is tomorrow! Do you mean push it back? Are you working? Collecting more from unemployment then you did when you worked? If so, who are you to tell more small business owners they need to lose their businesses that they spent so much time and capital to build?
While this might be true – I think cities that have been less impacted upon should be able to reopen & the decision should be left up to the Mayors or Town Managers of those cities. & towns.
Let the numbers speak .