Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno is lashing out at federal and state officials after the city was denied N95 respirator masks for police officers and firefighters.
Noting the current recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reserve N95 masks for certain health care workers, the state has instead sent Springfield lower-grade masks.
At a press conference Wednesday, Sarno called that guidance "absolutely ridiculous."
"Who the hell do you think — who do they think, from the federal level on down, is responding to the initial calls to these homes, whether in the city of Springfield or all throughout the commonwealth of Massachusetts?" Sarno said, in audio recorded by WAMC. "I'm speaking for every police department and every fire department in the commonwealth Massachusetts."
Sarno said Springfield is "burning through" its supply of respirator masks, and said he's done asking the state for help.
Sarno also criticized the Trump administration for failing to use the full force of the Defense Production Act "well over a month ago" to order the manufacturing of more respirator masks. He said the city is trying itself to buy them on its own, but they could be weeks away.
"Springfield received 1,800 masks on the last day of March," Sudders said. "What they are requesting is N95s, which are not in compliance with the CDC guidance [for police and fire personnel], and the [personal protective equipment] that we...distribute out is in compliance with the CDC guidance."
“As the federal and state agencies get bogged down with bureaucratic red tape issues, our community heard my clarion call loud and clear and delivered immediately!” Sarno said in a statement.
Massachusetts announces 77 new COVID-attributable deaths
Massachusetts public health officials reported another 77 deaths attributable to COVID-19, with 14 in the western part of the state. That raised the death toll since the pandemic began to 433.
The total number of laboratory-confirmed cases in Massachusetts has now grown to 16,790.
The numbers were included in the state's daily report, which — for the first time — included some data on the race and ethnicity of people testing positive for the disease, as well as those who died. But the data are incomplete, as race and ethnicity is listed as "unknown" or "missing" from nearly 70% of reported cases.
The Baker administration acknowledged the gap in data at its Wednesday press briefing.
"I want to be clear," Sudders said. "Obtaining racial and ethnic data on COVID-19 is crucial for examining where and on whom the burden of illness and death is falling."
The administration issued an order requiring those who report cases to the state to fill in that demographic data moving forward.
Williamstown, Mass., nursing home hit hard by the coronavirus
There have been a dozen deaths associated with COVID-19 at a Williamstown, Massachusetts, nursing home, with more than 30 other residents testing positive.
Lisa Gaudet is a spokesperson for Berkshire Healthcare, which operates Williamstown Commons. She said the state this week tested about 70 remaining residents, with those results still pending. Gaudet said the virus has also taken a toll on staff, as well.
"We have about 20 employees that have either become symptomatic, or because of direct contact, have necessitated that they self quarantine," she said. "Of those, they've been tested, and nine were positive."
Mass. AG announces new investigation into Holyoke Soldiers' Home response
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said Wednesday she's launching her own investigation into the handling of the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home.
In a statement, Healey said her probe will looking into what went wrong at the facility, and determine if legal action is warranted.
This investigation is separate from another announced last week by Governor Charlie Baker. At a press conference Wednesday, Baker was asked about Healey's move.
"Obviously, the attorney general has particular oversight responsibilities and we welcome her review," Baker said.
The state Wednesday said the number of recently deceased residents of the facility grew to 27, with at least 20 testing positive for COVID-19. Three more tests are pending, three came back negative, and one is listed as "unknown." In addition, 62 living veterans have tested positive, along with 68 staff.
The numbers across New England
In Connecticut, the state announced 58 additional deaths of patients testing positive for COVID-19. As of Wednesday, the state has reported 335 deaths from the disease. Connecticut's total of confirmed cases increased to 8,781 — about a thousand more than the day before.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Vermont increased to 605, up 30 from Tuesday. The number of deaths tied to COVID-19 in Vermont held at 23.
Rhode Island officials reported five more deaths in their update Wednesday, bringing the state's total to 35, with 1,450 people testing positive.
Maine's death toll increased by two in the Wednesday update, to 14. The state has announced 537 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19.
New Hampshire's total of COVID-19-related deaths increased by five in Wednesday's update, totaling 18. To date, 788 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in New Hampshire.
Connecticut mayors call for help for renters
Connecticut’s big city mayors are calling on Governor Ned Lamont and legislative leaders to help their constituents who are struggling to pay rent while out of work during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Many working people across Connecticut can’t afford to miss even a few days of work,” the mayors from Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, Middletown, Norwalk and Stamford wrote state to lawmakers Tuesday. “Our communities are likely to be disproportionately affected by the economic impact of coronavirus and our response to coronavirus, as many of our residents work non-salaried, hourly jobs to pay their bills. We need to make sure those families don’t lose their housing.”
The move comes a week after the Democratic governor announced that his administration had arranged for struggling homeowners to receive a 90-day suspension for paying their mortgage, but offered no assistance for those who rent.
Mass. police academy to close, offer accelerated online training
The Massachusetts State Police Academy is shutting down its physical operation and will provide accelerated online training so new troopers can help respond to the coronavirus outbreak. Officials say the academy's current class was originally scheduled to undergo training until late June, but officials are closing the academy as a precaution and plan to graduate 241 new troopers "in the very near future."
No trainees or academy staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. State police say the outbreak has increased the need for public safety personnel as troopers help support local police and protect testing sites.
Massachusetts legislators push for pot shops
A bipartisan group of 34 Massachusetts lawmakers this week sent a letter (PDF) to Governor Charlie Baker and Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders asking that they amend the list of industries considered essential — and therefore allowed to continue operations — to include non-medical marijuana shops.
"While we support and appreciate the concerns you have expressed regarding the need for social distancing during these unprecedented times, we believe that this highly regulated industry — perhaps more than any other — is well prepared and able to institute additional restrictions, including lawfully excluding all out-of-state residents to address these concerns," the lawmakers wrote.
Baker has said that recreational pot sales should not take place during the pandemic because it could attract people from other states to come to Massachusetts and questioned whether he could legally bar out-of-staters from buying marijuana here. The lawmakers, armed with an analysis from law firm Foley Hoag (PDF), say he can limit recreational sales to Bay Staters only.
"We understand that such a residency restriction would not violate the Commerce Clause due to the federal Controlled Substances Act’s affirmative ban on interstate commerce of marijuana. As such, the Commerce Clause does not protect out-of-state cannabis purchasers from 'discrimination' by the Commonwealth, particularly given the temporary nature of these public health measures during an unprecedented state of emergency," they wrote.
Baker has been asked regularly about allowing recreational shops to re-open and has said "it's a non-starter with us."
NEPR's Heather Brandon, Adam Frenier and Sam Hudzik contributed to this report, which includes information from State House News Service, WNPR, CT Mirror and The Associated Press.
