Weepy gov marks grim anniversary
An emotional Gov. Charlie Baker choked back tears as he reflected on one year of life under the coronavirus pandemic that permeated almost every aspect of life in the Bay State, killing more than 16,100 and shuttering businesses and schools en masse.
“This is the one-year anniversary of the signing,” Baker said, pausing to collect his composure, “of the executive order here in Massachusetts that put the commonwealth into a state of emergency.”
“I have to say — well, first of all — I wasn’t expecting this,” the Republican governor said, pausing once again to fight back tears. On March 10, 2020, Baker declared a state of emergency, setting the stage for months of business and travel restrictions, social distancing and mask-wearing to come.
Baker marked the grim milestone with a tour of a Shawmut facility in West Bridgewater. The textile company pivoted to manufacturing personal protective equipment early in the pandemic and CEO James Wyner said his “vision” is to turn the facility into “one of the largest producers of N95s, caps and gowns, in the country.”
“When I think about what we went through in those first few months to try to find PPE, in a world where every global supply chain had basically been frozen because of the pandemic, and the difficulties associated with getting very basic protective equipment to our health care workers, our first responders, our longterm care workers, and so many others in Massachusetts who were looking for it, this is really in some respects a very special moment, and a happy anniversary in some ways for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” Baker said.
Health Secretary Marylou Sudders, too, remembered “scrambling for PPE” last March.
“The fact that we’re standing here — there is domestic supply chain. Domestic manufacturing,” she said.
This time last year, the Baker administration was teaming up with Patriots owner Robert Kraft to fly in one million medicalgrade masks from China as hospitals, nursing homes and clinics around the state were running out. The scope of the emergency would continue to evolve in the days and weeks after the emergency declaration.
As vaccines slowly but surely become more widely available, Baker said return to normal is close, but said “big question marks” remain around variants and vaccine supply.