THERE ARE SEVEN state representatives who have not yet provided proof of vaccination or requested a religious or medical exemption from the vaccine mandate imposed by the House of the […]
COVID-19
Posted inEducation
State: School testing delays are being resolved
MASSACHUSETTS HEALTH and education officials acknowledged on Thursday that “logistical challenges” led to a delayed rollout of the state’s COVID-19 testing program in schools, but they said the problems, which […]
Posted inHealth Care
Massachusetts preps for Nov. vaccine rollout to kids
MASSACHUSETTS EXPECTS to receive 360,000 doses of the pediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine by November 5, Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders said Thursday. Unlike the initial vaccine […]
Posted inEconomy
Add paper to the list of things in short supply
BEFORE BOSTON’S preliminary mayoral election, the city sent information about mail-in voting to every voter. For a time, the city considered doing a second mailing, but Secretary of the Commonwealth […]
Posted inUncategorized
1,571 state workers not complying with vaccine mandate
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER’S vaccine mandate for executive branch employees went into effect Sunday, and more than 1,500 state workers remain out of compliance. But state government did not experience mass terminations on Monday. Instead, it […]
Posted inOpinion
As a society, we are simply exhausted
AS A HOSPITAL CEO, I can see the far-reaching effects of the pandemic on the emotional well-being of a community. I see it in the children and adults who visit […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker calls up Guard to help at prisons, schools
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Tuesday called up 450 members of the National Guard to fill in for state correctional workers who have refused to get vaccinated and to support a […]
Posted inHealth Care
Study says 140,000 children lost a caregiver to COVID
A STUDY PUBLISHED by the American Academy of Pediatrics in the journal Pediatrics on Thursday quantifies yet another tragic outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic: orphanhood. The study used modeling to […]
Posted inEconomy
Report urges action on addressing inequities post-COVID
DESPITE A NATIONWIDE reckoning on race, Massachusetts society post-COVID could see even worsening inequities in society based on class and race, if policymakers do not make a conscious effort to […]
Posted inOpinion
Why are hospital ICUs so full now?
This is another in a series of conversations between Dr. Jarone Lee, a frontline critical care and emergency physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, […]
Posted inOpinion
Vaccines are a community responsibility
IT HAS BEEN over a month since our two unions announced support for vaccine mandates for 30,000 members across Massachusetts. Since then, we have seen a host of other employers […]
Posted inEducation
Delays hinder state’s pooled testing program for schools
WHEN THE AMHERST-PELHAM regional school district instituted a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the school committee gave staff an alternative: they could get tested regularly instead. But the district was counting on […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Baker not worried about staff shortages due to vaccine mandate
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH LESS THAN A MONTH until his vaccination mandate for state employees takes effect, Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday he was not worried about creating staffing […]
Posted inOpinion
Listen to what food insecure people say they need
NEARLY 20 PERCENT of Massachusetts households struggle to access food — a number that has more than doubled during the pandemic. It’s a serious and growing issue, and there’s no […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Baker investigating vaccine passes
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IT WILL BE IMPORTANT for people to have a simple way to prove that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19, Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday as he […]
Posted inEducation
Classes in Melrose already quarantined
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MELROSE HAS already quarantined at least two classrooms for a COVID-19 outbreak, but Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday a return to remote learning as an option […]
Posted inHealth Care
At-home COVID tests surging in popularity
THE LAST COUPLE of weeks, customers at Skenderian Apothecary in Cambridge have been asking for at-home COVID tests. But owner Joseph Skenderian hasn’t been able to stock them. “I can’t get a steady line,” Skenderian said. […]
Posted inUncategorized
State House vaccine mandates raise questions for lawmakers
AS THE MASSACHUSETTS House and Senate – like so many private companies – ponder a return to the office, the Democratic leaders of both bodies say they plan to impose a […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker expands vaccine mandates
LESS THAN A MONTH after Gov. Charlie Baker announced a COVID vaccine mandate for all nursing home workers, the administration expanded the order to include home health aides and other […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Boston issues temporary eviction moratorium
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE LANDLORDS AND PROPERTY owners will be barred from seeking to evict tenants in Boston under a new city-level moratorium acting Mayor Kim Janey announced Tuesday afternoon. […]
Posted inEducation
Early ed commissioner seeks childcare mask mandates
A WEEK AFTER state education officials approved a temporary mask mandate in public schools, a separate state board will be asked to approve a mask mandate for staff and children over age […]
Posted inEconomy
Reckoning coming as fed unemployment benefits ending
MORE THAN 300,000 Massachusetts residents will lose federal unemployment insurance benefits at the end of this week, and no one is sure what that will mean for them or the […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. should require vaccination for all teachers and eligible students
LOCAL BOARDS OF HEALTH, school committees, and municipal leaders are struggling to navigate through the challenges of assuring that all eligible school children and teachers are vaccinated. Increased urgency around […]
Posted inThe Download
Unclear whether VaxMillions increased vaccinations
State officials are trying to spin the VaxMillions Giveaway as a success, but it’s very hard to say whether the lottery game actually did what it was intended to do […]