This week, a Massachusetts legislative oversight committee grilled Governor Charlie Baker over his administration's COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
At the hearing, Longmeadow state Senator Eric Lesser and Baker engaged in a back-and-forth over problems with the state's online appointment portal:
Baker: What happened to the website is on us. I was incredibly upset by it when it happened.
Lesser: Will you say "sorry" to the million people who you told the website would be in good shape?
Baker: Of course, absolutely, definitely, yes, of course. We'll continue to do things to improve the performance of the website and I'm as frustrated and disappointed about it as anbody.
Clearly, a lot of lawmakers and the people they serve are frustrated, as well as Governor Baker.
But panelist Elizabeth Román said she doesn't know that the hearing is going to change anything for the governor's administration.
"I hope that it's going to change something, but at least it gets the grievances out there in a really public way so that he and his team have a clear understanding of how frustrating it has been for people across the Commonwealth," Román said.
Román noted how challenging it is for western Massachusetts to have just one mass vaccination site, which she said is difficult for people to reach at the Eastfield Mall.
"Let alone getting there, they can't even get the vaccine, because there are thousands and thousands of people in line in front of them," she said. "It's just incredibly frustrating. So I appreciate Lesser and all the legislators who are bringing it to the forefront, even if I don't know that it'll make a real difference."
Panelist Ron Chimelis said "this is no time for Charlie Baker to lose his cool" over how the rollout is going.
"This is on him," Chimelis said. "And I think part of the frustration in the legislature is he's taken the ball and run with it all by himself, pretty much, and his associates. And one thing everybody agrees on, it hasn't worked. Now they're trying to figure out whose blame it is. And, you know, it was a very difficult rollout."
Chimelis acknowledged Baker is certainly correct when he points out there is a constraint on available vaccine doses.
"But it's also not a solution either," he said. "So, you know, can this be fixed in the middle? We're in the middle of a race. It's hard to fix your racing strategy when you're halfway there. So we're kind of lurching along, looking for answers. 'How come the website isn't working? Can we have it working tomorrow?' That's not going to make people feel comfortable with Charlie Baker."
Baker also took some heat for announcing shortly after his testimony Thursday that large venues like Fenway Park could have fans this spring.
Chimelis said he wouldn't necessarily say the governor was trying to bury negative news.
"If he feels we're ready to open up stadiums, that is an announcement, and it has to be made," Chimelis said. "I understand the timing raises questions of 'let's change the subject,' because the subject of the rollout is not pleasant for him. And it is on him, because it has been his rollout. In a way, they're two separate subjects, and in a way, they're not. Maybe he could have spaced out the announcement a little bit differently."
Meanwhile, in Connecticut, there's been a major change in how the state will distribute COVID-19 vaccines. The rollout will now continue by age, with teachers and school staff getting priority. Governor Ned Lamont said it was too hard to determine who was an essential worker or who had an underlying condition. Some unions representing supermarket workers and others say the public will be put at risk the longer their members aren't vaccinated.
Back in Massachusetts, Baker this week announced he wants elementary classrooms open for five-day-a-week learning in April . Parents would still have the opportunity to keep their kids learning remotely for now. But, some area Catholic schools have been opening for in-person learning all school year.
Guests:
- Elizabeth Román, reporter/editor, Springfield Republican and El Pueblo Latino
- Ron Chimelis, reporter/columnist, Springfield Republican
