The Re-opening Advisory Board, led by Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, is tasked with determining how MA businesses can safely re-open once decreasing COVID-19 rates make it safe to do so. The Board has heard from groups representing more than a million workers and filed interim reports with Governor Baker ahead of its May 18th reporting deadline and is expected to continue to make ongoing suggestions before and after this deadline. 

 

The Advisory Board is eager to hear comments from MA residents on any advice/concerns they have regarding re-opening. You can submit comments to the Board here  https://www.mass.gov/forms/submit-comments-to-the-reopening-advisory-board . 

 

Four-phase Re-opening Approach

On May 11th, the Baker-Polito Administration announced that based on downward COVID-19 trends and guidance from the Re-opening Advisory Board a four-phase approach to economic re-opening has been developed. The first phase is currently set to begin on May 18thwith the re-opening of businesses and activities with a lower risk of COVID-19 transmission. The phased re-opening will go hand-in-hand with Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards that will apply to all businesses. This careful, deliberate approach is aimed at allowing the state to establish a "new normal" without triggering increased COVID-19 rates. The four phases are: 

• Phase #1: "Start" - limited industries resume operations with severe restrictions 
• Phase #2: "Cautious" - additional industries resume operations with restrictions and capacity limits 
• Phase #3: "Vigilant" - Additional industries resume operations with guidance
• Phase #4: "New Normal" - Development of vaccine and/or therapy enables resumption of new normal 

 

Standards for social distancing: 

• All persons, including employees, customers, and vendors should remain at least six feet apart to the greatest extent possible, both inside and outside workplaces
• Establish protocols to ensure that employees can practice adequate social distancing
• Provide signage for safe social distancing
• Require face coverings or masks for all employees

Standards for hygiene: 

• Provide hand washing capabilities throughout the workplace
• Ensure frequent hand washing by employees and adequate supplies to do so
• Provide regular sanitization of high touch areas, such as workstations, equipment, screens, doorknobs, restrooms throughout work site

Standards for staffing and operations: 

• Provide training for employees regarding the social distancing and hygiene protocols
• Employees who are displaying COVID19-like symptoms do not report to work
• Establish a plan for employees getting ill from COVID-19 at work, and a return-to-work plan

Standards for cleaning and disinfecting: 

• Establish and maintain cleaning protocols specific to the business
• When an active employee is diagnosed with COVID-19, cleaning and disinfecting must be performed
• Disinfection of all common surfaces must take place at intervals appropriate to said workplace

 

Community Tracing Collaborative 

The Community Tracing Collaborative (CTC) is a key part of the state's fight against COVID-19. The CTC traces close contacts of people who have been confirmed positive for the virus and informs them so that they do not continue to spread the virus on to others. CTC also supports people who are in quarantine. The initiative employs public health college students as contact tracers and shores up the work being done already by local boards of health. When a person tests positive for COVID-19, the CTC contact tracers reach out to the person and ask them a series of questions to determine who their close contacts are and connect them with support for quarantine. Tens of thousands of MA residents have participated in contact tracing since mid-April when calls began. Staffed with more than 1,600 tracers, the CTC has contacted nearly 14,000 confirmed cases and established more than 7,500 of their contacts. In part due to effective social distancing measures, the median number of contacts reported by each confirmed case remains approximately 2 people. 

 

The CTC relies on you answering your phone. Contact tracers will reach out from phone numbers with 833 or 857 area codes and the phone's caller ID will say MA COVID Team. Please make sure to take these calls and provide them with all relevant information. The health and safety of your community depends on it. When you answer the call, the following will occur: 

1. A case investigator will ask you for a list of all the people and places you were within six feet of during the 48 hours prior to your symptoms. For those who do not have symptoms, include all contacts 48 hours prior to your diagnosis. The case investigator will also ask for the phone numbers of any people you identify so that they can be reached and notified about their exposure. 
2. You are encouraged to inform your contacts about your illness. The state will not share your information. The MA COVID Team calls your contacts and tells them they have been exposed to COVID-19 so they can get tested, but will not release your name. This process is called contact tracing, and it is a very important piece to fighting this pandemic and stopping transmission. 
3. Your information will not be shared with immigration officials or ICE. 
4. If you are staying at home during the isolation period, the case investigator will also discuss any needs you may have for this time period and may connect you with a care resource coordinator who will help you get the support you need. 
5. A case investigator and/or your local board of health will check in on you regularly to monitor your symptoms and needs. 

On May 6th, the Order issued by the Baker-Polito Administration requiring individuals to wear face coverings in public places took effect. If you are in a place open to the public in the Commonwealth, when unable to maintain a distance of approximately six feet from every other person, you are required to cover your mouth and nose with a mask or cloth face covering. Masks should be washed routinely in a washing machine or with soap and water and allowed to dry completely. The order applies to both indoor and outdoor spaces. Exceptions include children under the age of 2 and those unable to wear a mask or face covering due to a medical condition. 

 

Face coverings are required at all times when: 

• Inside or waiting in line outside of grocery stores, pharmacies, and other retail stores
• Providing or using the services of any taxi, car, livery, ride-sharing, or similar service
• On any form of public transit, including train or bus
• In an enclosed or semi-enclosed transit stop or waiting area

Exceptions for wearing face coverings include situations that may inhibit an individual from wearing a face-mask safely. These may include, but are not limited to:

• Those who cannot breathe safely
• Those who, due to a behavioral health diagnosis, are unable to do so
• Those communicating with people who rely upon lip-reading
• Those who require supplemental oxygen to breathe
• Those who are exercising outdoors and are able to keep physical distance from others 

Per COVID-19 order No. 31, violations of the masking order shall be punished in the following manner:

• The first offense shall result in a warning.
• The second or subsequent offense may result in a civil citation and a fine of up to $300.

Unemployment Rates

The COVID-19 pandemic and the business shutdowns aimed at preventing its spread eliminated more than 20 million American jobs in April. New figures published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics confirm the economic devastation of the pandemic - national unemployment rate rose to 14.7% last month. Both the 20.5 million lost jobs and the 10.3 percentage point increase in the unemployment rate were the largest one-month jumps since the Bureau of Labor Statistics launched those data series in 1939 and in 1948. The largest impact came in the leisure and hospitality sector, where April employment dropped by 7.7 million jobs, or 47% of the industry's entire job force. 

 

In Massachusetts, approximately 1 million workers, close to 25% of the state's workforce, have sought unemployment benefits since mid-March, according to new figures published by the state on May 7th. Between March 15th and May 2nd, state labor officials received nearly 780,000 applications for standard unemployment insurance. Another 185,000 claimants sought aid through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which extends benefit eligibility to gig workers, self-employed workers, and others who do not qualify for traditional unemployment insurance since it launched on April 20th. Last month, Governor Baker requested federal loans to cover $900 million of unemployment benefits in May and $300 million in June. 

 

Unemployment and Returning to Work 

Access information for employees and employers on returning to work, as it relates to unemployment assistance, by clicking here if you are an employee   and here if you are an employer.

 

State Budget 

As reported in State House News, Commonwealth tax collections in April fell by more than $2.3 billion compared to April 2019, in part due to the pushing of the April 15th tax filing deadline to July 15th. Experts who testified in the Legislature last month projected that next year's tax collections could land $4 billion to $6 billion below initial estimates. These shortfalls throw the state of the future budget into uncertainty for anyone who relies on spending in the more than $43 billion budget. The lack of clarity also means that local aid levels, a major source of revenue for municipal government, remain unknown for the municipal officials who usually craft their city and town budgets in the spring. It is still unclear when the Legislature will take up the fiscal year 2021 budget or what it will even look like. A set of emergency rules the House adopted last week gave the House Ways and Means Committee until July 1st to report out its version of the budget, which is usually done in late April. 

 

The Legislature is currently looking at the possibility of proposing a joint House and Senate budget, as opposed to the traditional method of the budget starting in the House and then being taken up by the Senate. Operating on a one-twelfth budget is also an option being considered, which would allow the state to pass a budget each month to ensure necessary operations are funded until a complete, year-round budget can be established. Last month, the Legislature passed and Governor Baker signed a bill that eases some of the deadlines and scheduling requirements municipalities face and allows cities and town to tap into their free cash, or remaining FY20 reserves, for FY21 budgets without having to go through the usual state approval process.  

 

Short-term Borrowing Bill & Remote Voting

On May 6th, the House unanimously voted to allow the Treasury to borrow billions of dollars as needed through June to meet the state's financial obligations due to the economic devastation caused by COVID-19. The bill, House Bill 4677, was filed by Governor Baker in late March. Most House lawmakers, including me, participated virtually from across the Commonwealth due to House leadership reaching a compromise on May 4th on emergency rules allowing all members to vote virtually. The borrowing bill was needed to allow the Treasurer to issue revenue anticipation notes to bridge the gap in funding created by the movement of the 2019 tax filing deadline from April 15th to July 15th.

 

The historic 157-0 was the first time in its nearly 400-year history the House held a roll call vote remotely. On May 7th, the House adopted a clause to the short-term borrowing bill that would set it into effect immediately after the Governor signs it into law. On May 7th, the Senate also passed the borrowing bill and approved a remote voting system to achieve a final vote on the bill. A long-term rules change in the Senate is also in the works to allow for consideration of other bills that require roll call votes during the COVID-19 emergency. H4677 will require one more vote in both the House and Senate before it goes to Governor Baker's desk for his signature. The House is scheduled to take our final vote on the bill today, I will be "attending" session and voting remotely from the Floating Hospital for Children during Caitlin's infusion.

MA Secretary of State William Galvin filed new legislation that would, if passed, allow the Commonwealth to give a mail-in ballot to any voter who requests one and expand in-person early voting. The proposed legislation would allow any MA voter to request a mail-in ballot without providing the justification normally required. Secretary Galvin's plan would also expand early voting at polling locations to an 18-day period ahead of the general election, including two weekends, and a week-long period ahead of the September 1st primary. 

 

State law currently only requires 12 days of early voting opportunities, with no guaranteed weekends, ahead of the general election, and the state has never allowed early voting for the primaries. Voters are currently unable to vote by mail outside of a two-week early voting period before the general election. In addition to allowing no-excuse mailed ballots, Secretary Galvin's legislation would allow voters to return ballots to an official drop box or appoint a family member to deliver it by hand. Anyone hospitalized or quarantined within one week of an election could designate someone to hand-deliver them a ballot. Secretary Galvin's office is collaborating with the US Postal Service to ensure voters do not need to pay for postage to return their mail-in ballots. 

 

Easing of Restrictions on Retail, Car Dealers 

On May 5th, Governor Baker gave florists, as well as many other "non-essential" businesses, the go-ahead to bring back a limited number of employees to fulfill online and phone orders for delivery, provided they follow proper safety measures and do not let customers into the store. The updated guidance came just ahead of Mother's Day.

 

The updated essential business guidelines also made new allowances for car dealerships, allowing sales to resume over the phone or online and for dealerships to follow the same remote fulfillment rules as other retailers. Test drives of vehicles are not permitted, and all processing of documents has to be done electronically if possible. Dealerships will remain closed to walk-in customers, but transfer, delivery, and return of new and leased vehicles or trade-ins can be conducted in person by appointment. 

 

Trustees of Reservations Opening Properties 

On May 8th, the Trustees of Reservations announced some of their properties will re-open on May 19th, including Crane Beach in Ipswich, World's End in Hingham, the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, and Naumkeag in Stockbridge. The re-openings come with rules aimed at continuing to protect staffers and attendees from COVID-19. Details can be found here  http://www.thetrustees.org/COVID19/ . 

 

Golf Courses Open

On May 7th, Governor Baker updated the COVID-19 essential services list allowing golf courses to re-open providing there are no gatherings of any kind. The new rules require that six feet between all people is maintained and groups will be limited to four golfers, as is traditional. The updated guidance also allows municipal golf courses to open, but all courses must comply with a strict set of restrictions, including a ban on caddies and golf carts. Courses are mandated to have hand sanitizer readily available. Of the states that closed golf courses at the start of the pandemic, MA was the last to allow the sport to resume. Under the new guidance: 

• Golf courses can identify staff to serve as security personnel and enforce social distancing, but no other employees may work the "recreational component" of the golf operation. Groundskeeping has been allowed through the pandemic. 
• Golfers will have to pay either online or via a remote payment method.
• Players must wait in their car until 15 minutes before their tee time, and courses are required to keep practice greens and driving ranges closed. 
• Tee times must be at least 15 minutes apart.
• Everyone must use their own clubs, flag sticks must remain in the hole at all times, there will be no rakes to tidy bunkers, and courses must remove or cover ball washers.
• Once the round is over, players must immediately return to their cars. 
• There will be no 19th hole - clubhouses, pro shops, restaurants, and other facilities must remain closed. 

Summer Festivities

On May 8th, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced no parades or festivals will occur from now through at least Labor Day, including the Fourth of July fireworks display and Boston Pops performance on the banks of the Charles River. The Boston Pops will instead produce a tribute to frontline workers that will be broadcast on TV, radio, and online. Fireworks from a previous Fourth will stream to end the broadcast. Smaller events in Boston will be looked at on a case-by-case basis throughout the summer months. Walsh's office reiterated that no event should be planned that would involve more than 10 people gathering or that could draw a crowd of any size. 

 

Some events were cancelled before Friday's announcement, including Boston Pride, feasts and processions in the North End, the Caribbean Carnival Parade, and the Battle of Bunker Hill Day Parade in Charlestown. The Boston Marathon is still currently scheduled for September 14th, 2020. 

 

Operation: American Resolve

On May 6th, National Nurses Day, F-15 Eagles from the 104th Fighter Wing in Westfield, Massachusetts, flew over several area hospitals in a show of support for medical workers serving on the front lines in the combat against COVID-19. The fly-over was part of Operation American Resolve, a nationwide salute to those supporting COVID-19 response efforts. Air Force Salutes flyovers are a way for the US Air Force to show appreciation for those making great sacrifices to work on the frontlines and to support Massachusetts residents sick with the virus. It was great to see the pictures posted by so many on Facebook!

 

RMV Updates

Beginning on Monday, May 4th, customers can schedule a reservation online 7 days in advance for one of the open Service Centers. Previously, they could only schedule a reservation 3 days in advance. Please find  for up-to-date information on extensions, cancellations and service changes here.

 

The RMV is cautioning customers to use only Mass.Gov/RMV when they are trying to renew a license or registration or process any business transactions online. Customers may inadvertently come across unofficial third-party websites or "mimic sites" that advertise similar services but have no affiliation with the RMV. Customers can use the helpful hints listed below to determine whether the website they are using is the official site for the MA RMV: 

• Massachusetts uses the abbreviation "RMV." Any website using the phrase "Department of Motor Vehicles" or "DMV" should be avoided.
• Make sure the Commonwealth's seal is located somewhere on the page. This will help ensure that it is an official government website. If it cannot be found, customers should leave the site immediately.
• Always read the fine print and look for key phrases such as "for-profit" or privately owned" at the top or bottom of the third-party websites which may note that they are not affiliated with the Commonwealth.
• The Registry will never charge a customer to check the status of a license, registration, or title. If the site requires payment to access this information, it is an unsecured mimic site.
• At Mass.Gov/RMV, a customer will never be charged to access Registry forms and information, but unofficial third-party sites may charge for this service. Their information is also not guaranteed to be accurate.
• The Registry never charges for address changes. If a customer uses a mimic site, the change cannot be guaranteed to have actually gone through. 

Customers with additional questions can contact the  Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation  by calling the Consumer Hotline at 617-973-8787 or toll-free in MA at 888-283-3757. 

 

Westborough COVID-19 Community Fund 

The Westborough COVID-19 Community Fund is a terrific way to support residents who are disproportionately impacted by the outbreak, including frontline and essential workers, seniors or people experiencing food insecurity, disabilities, or housing instability. Created through the recommendation of Westborough's COVID-19 Task Force, the fund will support local nonprofit organizations and community members. The effort is administered by the Rotary Club of Westborough. Learn more and donate  here . 

 

Contacting my Office

As a reminder, the State House itself is closed to the public and my Legislative Aide Anna Darrow and I are working remotely. We are fully accessible via email and we are constantly checking our office voicemail. You can reach our office number at 617-722-2810, my cell number is 617-448-7304, and my email is  Hannah.Kane@mahouse.gov. Anna's email is  Anna.Darrow@mahouse.gov and her cell number is 802-373-2294.