Some on front lines say it’s too soon
A group of Massachusetts frontline workers and legislators protested Gov. Baker’s plans to reopen the state as premature and misguided, saying it is based off dates instead of data and lacks input from vulnerable communities.
“We need to let the data guide our decision rather than staying focused on a date that was arbitrarily chosen,” said state Rep. Tami Gouveia, D-Acton, in a Monday morning conference call just before Baker’s press conference announcing his reopening plan.
“All of the public health experts say we need a 14-day drop in the people testing positive and we aren’t there yet. We aren’t even close to there yet,” Gouveia said.
Dr. Lara Jirmanus, a physician who hosted the webinar, said people from low-income communities, minorities and health care professionals were not sufficiently represented in the reopening decisions.
“Our society will only be as safe as our most vulnerable person,” Jirmanus said. “If you ignore the most vulnerable population, you can control an outbreak but then you will get another one.”
Rep. Mike Connolly, D-Cambridge, called on Baker to extend the current stay-at-home advisory through June 1.
“It would give us a chance to build consensus and understanding about what comes next, making sure the voices of those most impacted by COVID-19 have a real seat at the table in the decision-making process,” said Connolly.
On Monday, Baker announced construction, manufacturing and places of worship could reopen. On May 25, another wave of businesses will get the green light to reopen with restrictions, including salons, labs, parks and curbside retail.
Dr. Regina LaRocque, an infectious disease physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, said while the peak of the virus may have been reduced, “we have arrived at a very flat and high level of ongoing infection and we need to understand why that is the case and remediate those problems if we are going to get this under control.”
She called for reopening decisions to be guided by public health data, keeping in mind those who are most affected.
“We can’t have a vibrant economy if we have high ongoing levels of death,” LaRocque said.
Each phase of Baker’s plan will last for at least three weeks, and if public health data trends are negative, some businesses or the entire state may need to return to previous phases.