Updated at 7:35 p.m.
Reported cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts increased on Monday to 197, up from 164 a day earlier.
Berkshire County now has 11 reported cases of the coronavirus, up two from Sunday. Hampden County holds at just one confirmed case, and Worcester County holds at six. Hampshire and Franklin counties still have no reported cases. There are 10 cases reported in Massachusetts in which the county is not yet identified.
Officials expect the number of cases to keep rising as testing capabilities expand.
In Connecticut, the number of positive cases nearly doubled to 41 from 26 reported Sunday. There are four cases in Hartford County and four cases in Litchfield County.
In New Hampshire, cases rose to 17. In Vermont, the number increased to 12; Rhode Island’s cases rose slightly to 21, and Maine now has 17 cases.
Feeding students as schools close
All Massachusetts schools will be closed until at least early April due to COVID-19 concerns. Some districts will provide meals to students who need them during the shutdown. School districts in Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee and Greenfield are among those offering food to children. The meals can be picked up at various locations, and will be packaged to bring home instead of served on-site in order to follow guidelines limiting gatherings.
The Gill-Montague district in Franklin County will deploy school buses to various locations for short periods of time to allow for meal pickup. Northampton for now is directing families of students to food assistance agencies if they are in need.
Food banks are in need, too
The run on grocery store shelves over coronavirus concerns is making an impact on local food donations. Christina Maxwell of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts said items donated by stores, ranging from canned soup to frozen meat and cleaning products, are not available anymore.
“If they don't have the donations to give us, there's not a lot that can be done about that,” she said. “We are looking into ways of securing food from other sources, which will be quite expensive. But we're really committed to making sure that people who need food aid during this time continue to get it.”
Maxwell said shoppers can help the less fortunate by buying a few extra items and dropping them off at the stores’ donation bins.
Restaurants, bars prepare to close
Restaurant and business owners in Massachusetts have been adjusting to the reality that restaurant dining is going away and consumers won't be shopping as much as they would be if it weren't for the pandemic.
The Mass. Restaurant Association said the last few days "have been some of the most stressful and anxiety-ridden days our industry has faced in recent memory and possibly ever," and that restaurants were using Monday to streamline operations and maximize takeout and delivery options once Governor Charlie Baker’s ban on on-premises consumption takes effect Tuesday.
The association has made a webpage with information and resources for restaurants available and is working with operators as they navigate the uncertainty.
Tristate region announces coordinated closures
The governors of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey announced bars and restaurants in all three states will be required to close by 8 p.m. Monday because of the coronavirus. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said they want to make sure residents maintain social distance.
“Many of our bars and eat-in restaurants were busy just this past weekend,” he said on a conference call. “And that’s why we are stepping forward in a very clear and demonstrative way that we are going to work together on this on a unified and regional basis.”
Restaurants will be allowed to continue takeout and food delivery service, as in Massachusetts.
Western Mass. jails suspend family visits
Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi announced that for the next two months, inmates at the Ludlow jail won’t be allowed personal visitors – and will instead get a number of free phone calls. Cocchi said lawyers and clergy can still visit, but without physical contact, and wearing masks. Volunteer programs will be suspended, and suspects awaiting court will be kept in a separate unit. Cocchi said there are currently no suspected cases of the coronavirus at the jail, which holds an average of 900 men.
Massachusetts launches small business loan fund
Baker announced the creation of a $10 million loan fund for small businesses on Monday afternoon, making the funding available immediately for any employers with fewer than 50 full- and part-time employees.
Baker detailed the step after meeting with House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Karen Spilka for more than two hours.
Businesses can access up to $75,000, and will not be required to make any payments for the first six months. The governor said the availability of the emergency small business loans is similar to steps the government took during the winter of 2015 and after the Merrimack Valley gas explosions in 2018.
Coronavirus response legislation in Massachusetts
Baker filed a package of three bills on Monday morning to allow workers to begin immediately collecting unemployment benefits, and to allow municipalities to extend existing budgets on a month-to-month basis.
One bill would waive the one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits to be paid to workers impacted by COVID-19.
The municipal flexibility bill would allow town moderators, in consultation with local board of selectmen, to postpone Town Meetings for up to 30 days because of a public health emergency, and a select board could push the meeting beyond June 30, which is currently the deadline in state law. Towns would also be able to reduce quorum requirements to conduct the most pressing Town Meeting business, and town leaders could extend budgets on a month-to-month basis based at prior-year spending levels if they are unable to complete a new fiscal year 2021 budget.
Another Baker bill would make Monday, September 14, the date of the postponed Boston Marathon, a statewide holiday.
60+ grocery shopping hours
Stop & Shop grocery stores will set aside an hour and a half of shopping every morning open only to customers 60 years old and older, the company announced, carving aside time for a segment of the population that public health experts say are at particular risk for contracting COVID-19.
The policy takes effect Thursday, and stores will open a designated entrance earlier to grant older shoppers from 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. an opportunity to shop with smaller crowds. Stores will not check identification, but the company asked in a press release "that you please respect the purpose of the early opening — and do the right thing for your neighbors."
Overall store hours were previously shifted from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. to allow for more time stocking shelves and for appropriate employee rest.
NEPR’s Adam Frenier, Kari Njiiri, Karen Brown and Heather Brandon contributed to this report, which includes information from WSHU and State House News Service.
