Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced new measures today to fight the surge in COVID cases that is threatening to overwhelm hospitals during a severe staff shortage.
The Baker administration directed hospitals to postpone or cancel all nonessential elective procedures, activated up to 500 members of the National Guard to help staff health care facilities, and advised universal face mask wearing inside public spaces.
“There is no question the next few weeks will be enormously difficult for our health care community,” Baker said. “The steps we are announcing today are designed to support them so they can continue to care for patients.”
The moves, announced by Baker, come as Massachusetts, and other northeast states, grapple with a surge in COVID-19 cases likely fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus.
As many as 300 guard personnel will begin training this week for deployment on December 27th to 55 acute care hospitals and 12 ambulance service providers. They will have non-clinical assignments including non-emergency transportation, observing patients at risk of harming themselves, food service, security, and moving patients about inside hospitals, explained Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders.
“We’ve lost 500 acute care beds in Massachusetts because of staffing shortages, so by providing the non-medical side of the corps we’ll hopefully allow them the ability to open up additional beds,” she said.
The state’s new directive to hospitals on elective procedures also takes effect Dec. 27th.
Last week, the head of the largest hospital network in western Massachusetts warned the system was in crisis amid this latest wave in the pandemic. Dr. Mark Keroack, President and CEO of Baystate Health, said the Springfield medical center and the community hospitals in Greenfield, Palmer, and Westfield were all over capacity and 14 percent of staff positions were vacant.
The updated face covering advisory comes after Keroack and a host of other medical professionals had called on Baker to bring back a statewide face mask mandate. But the new advisory is as far as Baker is willing to go.
“I have no interest in putting a mandate on this issue given all the tools that are available on a statewide basis,” said Baker. “If locals wish to pursue alternative options they can do so. We issued a mask mandate last fall because we had no other options available to us.”
Baker continued to urge people to get vaccinated.
“Vaccinated people may test positive, but their chances of dying or getting seriously ill are so small, they pale in comparison to so many riskier behaviors out there … And if you’re boosted, your risk of getting sick is even lower,” he said.
Tuesday’s announcement from the Baker administration came a day after a number of cities and towns adopted steps to slow the spread of the virus.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced a vaccine requirement for indoor dining, fitness centers, theaters, and sports venues.
In Springfield, Mayor Domenic Sarno said the city will make free at-home COVID-19 test kits readily available for pickup Tuesday at more than a dozen locations including all public library branches. He also warned that if the current trend of rising COVID cases is not slowed then mandates and restrictions will be the next step.
“I’ve not taken anything off the table,” Sarno aid.
Springfield Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris said people should use the rapid COVID-19 tests if they have symptoms of the disease, and in some cases if they don’t.
“If a young person is going to visit an elder during the holidays, they might want to take a rapid test to make sure they are negative before they visit that relative,” explained Caulton-Harris.
The Springfield Public Schools announced Monday that because of rising COVID-19 cases all winter sports are being paused.
Baker made it clear Tuesday that schools will not be permitted to return to remote learning.
“My view on this is really simple – kids need to be in school. School is safe,” Baker said. “There is an overwhelming amount of evidence at this point in time that keeping kids out of school, keeping them away from one another, keeping them away from training and caring adults did terrible damage to kids all over the country. It is not going to happen in Massachusets.”
The State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has a universal face mask requirement in all public school buildings that is in effect until January 15th.
