Baker stresses mask wearing
Hopes to keep virus at bay
Gov. Charlie Baker is urging people to continue wearing masks as he aims to keep transmission of the deadly coronavirus low in the Bay State while cases spike elsewhere.
“It’s very clear from the research and the data that face coverings are the most important and significant way to stop the spread” of COVID-19, Baker said in a press conference Thursday at the State House. “The best and most important thing we can all do here in the commonwealth is to continue to wear face coverings.”
The state’s positive test rate has hovered around 2% for roughly two weeks now and is down more than 90% since mid-April, Baker said. Hospitalizations and other key metrics continue to trend in a positive direction as well. But officials in Massachusetts and other Northeast states continue to keep a wary eye on the Sun Belt, where infections and hospitalizations are rising at an alarming rate.
“It’s especially important as the rest of the country has experienced a significant increase in recent weeks that we stay vigilant here in Massachusetts,” Baker said.
Baker’s call to continue mask wearing, social distancing and proper hygiene come a day after lawmakers pushed fines of up to $100 for those who refuse to don a face covering. The bill filed this week would also require a two-week quarantine for travelers entering Massachusetts from COVID-19 hot spots, prioritize testing for high-risk people, enforce coronavirus protocols in businesses and better fund local boards of health.
The governor’s mask order, which requires all people over age 2 to wear face coverings if they cannot properly social distance, has been in effect since May and will “remain in place until we don’t have an emergency,” Baker said.
“If people want to engage in a discussion about masks as they relate to COVID, my view is masks are a fundamental part of how we contain and fight the virus,” Baker said. “We believe the proposal we put in place, which gives locals the ability to also enforce this order with a variety of means and mechanisms available to them, has worked enormously effectively.”
Baker also rolled out another $19.6 million in federal aid to help 181 communities provide vital services to low-income residents and small businesses with a focus on homelessness prevention, food distribution and training for in-demand health care jobs. The funding builds on the $20 million Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistant program the administration introduced last month.
As he bolstered housing assistance, Baker said he will decide “soon” on whether to extend a temporary moratorium on evictions and foreclosures that expires Aug. 18.