GOV. CHARLIE BAKER announced Wednesday that the state will require all nursing home and long-term care facility staff to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by October 10. The decision marks an evolution […]
COVID-19
Posted inOpinion
Students returning to campus will carry trauma
IF EVER THERE was to be a naturalistic study of the outcome of prolonged emotional arousal, social isolation, secondary trauma, and learned helplessness on human beings, it is COVID-19. Symptoms […]
Posted inOpinion
Pasta shop rethinks its role in the community
OVER THE PAST YEAR and a half, we all have been focused on a singular mission: survival. Now, as restrictions lift and we begin to venture out, we turn to […]
Posted inUncategorized
As VaxMillions drawing nears, doses continue decline
ONE MASSACHUSETTS adult is about to become $1 million richer when the first VaxMillions winner is pulled on Monday. But despite the trove of cash and scholarships on the line, […]
Posted inUncategorized
With federal aid, small towns keep it simple
This is the first in a three-part series on how municipalities are spending ARPA money. WHEN MICHELE GIARUSSO, Â the municipal assistant in the small town of Leyden, read the rules […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker releases spending plan for $186m in ARPA funds
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Monday announced that he will spend $186 million in federal COVID relief funding with a focus on health care and workforce training. “Our administration is putting this $186 […]
Posted inOpinion
Doubling down on vaccinating minority communities
WE ARE TURNING the corner in our battle against a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic: 158 million Americans, almost 48 percent of the population, are fully vaccinated, while restrictions are being lifted across […]
Posted inOpinion
A recipe for fixing the restaurant industry
WE’RE HEARING cheers of people saying the world is finally back to normal, that we can go back to living our lives the way we did before the pandemic. I […]
Posted inOpinion
Despite vaccines, COVID-19 testing remains priority
WHEN THE NEWS BROKE late last year that multiple pharmaceutical companies had successfully developed vaccines for COVID-19, we all breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, there was light at the […]
Posted inGambling
VaxMillions not driving up shots yet
THE NEW VaxMillions lottery so far isn’t driving up the rate of COVID-19 vaccinations in Massachusetts. In the week before Gov. Charlie Baker announced the lottery on June 15, 175,071 […]
Posted inOpinion
Strategies for increasing vaccination equity
BY MANY ACCOUNTS, Massachusetts stands out as one of the top five states in fully vaccinating its citizens. To date, 4.1 M residents are fully vaccinated and an additional 542,000 are […]
Posted inOpinion
Playing catch-up with remediation won’t work
FOR A MOMENT, imagine you commute to work each day by train. A co-worker also commutes by train, but on a different line. Every day your co-worker arrives late, missing […]
Posted inOpinion
Requiring masks on public transit makes no sense
THERE ARE FACTS and there are perceptions. These are often very different things. And when you are trying to guide and inform human decision-making, perceptions often matter more than facts. […]
Posted inUncategorized
Lawmakers agree on emergency order compromise
STATE LAWMAKERS on Tuesday night struck a deal and shipped Gov. Charlie Baker legislation to restore the lapsed authorization for remote public meetings, to-go cocktail sales, and town meeting flexibilities, […]
Posted inEconomy
Senate votes to extend some COVID orders
WHILE THE PANDEMIC-related health emergency may be winding down, it will take time for society to return to a fully normal state. Lawmakers are now grappling with which aspects of […]
Posted inUncategorized
COVID and children: Risks are small, but not zero
NOW THAT Aubrey Samost and her husband are vaccinated against COVID-19, Samost said the Cambridge couple wouldn’t think twice about going out to dinner – except they have a 15-month-old daughter, who is too […]
Posted inThe Download
Pooled COVID testing finally coming to childcare centers
For six months, Massachusetts’ K-12 schools have been able to opt into the state’s free pooled testing program, which lets them test for COVID-19 weekly among large populations of asymptomatic […]
Posted inHealth Care
Pooled COVID testing finally coming to childcare centers
FOR SIX MONTHS, Massachusetts’ K-12 schools have been able to opt into the state’s free pooled testing program, which lets them test for COVID-19 weekly among large populations of asymptomatic […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
SJC justices skeptical of requiring more COVID testing in jails
SEVERAL JUSTICES of the Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday appeared skeptical of claims that county jails are showing deliberate indifference to prisoners by failing to provide regular COVID-19 testing and, in some cases, appropriate videoconferencing opportunities. Justice […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker: I forgot about Walsh interview
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said Friday he “forgot” he had spoken with former Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Superintendent Bennett Walsh before naming him to the post, and expressed interest in taking action […]
Posted inEducation
Lots of academic catch-up needed, say K-12 parents
WHILE MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOLS look to close out the school year with something approximating a normal routine and setting, a majority of parents across the state say their children will have […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker seeks to extend remote meetings, outdoor dining
WITH THE COVID-19 state of emergency drawing to a close, Gov. Charlie Baker filed legislation on Tuesday to extend certain measures related to remote meetings, outdoor dining, and medical billing – primarily policies that have worked […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker ending nearly all COVID restrictions May 29
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER moved up the state’s return to what many are calling the new normal by two months, setting May 29 as the day nearly all remaining COVID-19 restrictions will […]
Posted inThe Download
Need for pooled testing in schools is not disappearing
Vaccines may be here, but the need for COVID-19 testing is not going away any time soon. That’s the prediction of Tim Rowe, the CEO of CIC Health, a private […]