4/22/2020 Press Conference on COVID-19 Updates

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On April 22nd, Governor Baker gave a press conference to provide a COVID-19 update on Testing, Community Health Care Center COVID-19 Testing, PPE, Hospital Capacity, Community Tracing Collaborative, Wifi Hotspots in Underserved Communities, Student Loans, and Food Security.

Here is the summary.

Testing

  • Yesterday, MA conducted nearly 6,000 new tests. This brings the total tests statewide to about 175,000. 

  • MA reported 1,556 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of just over 41,000 positive cases. 

Community Health Care Center COVID-19 Testing

  • MA will expand testing efforts by collaborating with Quest Diagnostics and The Mass League of Community Health Centers. This partnership will increase testing at several key community health centers. 

    • Quest Diagnostics has agreed to ship 2,200 tests per day to 12 community health centers. 

    • The first group of health centers includes operations in Quincy, Brockton, Lowell, Fall River, New Bedford, Worcester, Provincetown, and multiple sites in Boston. 

    • If you are interested in being tested, please contact these health centers this week.

PPE

  • As of yesterday, MA has delivered over 5.3 million pieces of PPE. 

Hospital Capacity

  • As of yesterday, 3,872 patients have been hospitalized statewide from COVID-19. 

  • There are 18,000 available hospital beds, varying from ICU to field hospital beds, 56% of these beds are unoccupied. 

Community Tracing Collaborative

  • Today, more than 30 community health centers are participating in the community tracing collaborative.

    • From joining this initiative, some community health centers have been able to bring back furloughed staff. 

  • MA has worked with cell phone service providers to ensure that when Tracers make calls, they show up as “MA COVID TEAM” and are not blocked by caller ID. 

    • Please pick up when you get this call, this is your opportunity to stop the spread of the virus especially in your own home, neighborhood, and community. 

Wifi Hotspots in Underserved Communities

  • MA announced expanded access to high-speed internet for unserved cities and towns that do not have a completed last-mile broadband network. The MA Broadband Institute at MassTech, KCST, and local internet service providers will work to offer new wifi hotspots to unserved municipalities. 

    • A high-speed connection, free of any charge until September 1, 2020, to eligible communities.

    • Users of these hotspots will continue to practice social distancing protocol. 

    • MA Broadband Institute is tracking these hotspots and posting them online at broadband.masstech.org/wifi 

    • Communities with independently established hotspots are still eligible to receive a hotspot under this program. 

Student Loans

  • The Division of Banks has joined a multi-state initiative to secure payment relief options for MA student loan borrowers.  They have also issued a consumer advisory with information and resources for private student loan borrowers during COVID-19. 

    • Several relief options have been secured in MA with 15 different loan servicers to expand protections for federal student loan borrowers. 

      • These new options will benefit 182,000 MA borrowers with privately held student loans. 

    • Please learn more about this initiative and eligibility requirements by going to mass.gov/dob

Food Security

  • MA has received a waiver from DESI and USDA to implement a program that will provide direct financial assistance to purchase healthy foods for families with children who would have received free/reduced meals if not for school closures. 

    • Households will directly receive $5.70/child per school day for the duration of school closure. This is about $28.50/week per child. 

    • This program brings more than $100 million to the state’s economy as it will support our grocery stores, corner stores, and their employees.

    • DTA will be issuing these payments to families who are already in the system through their current EBT cards. The families who are not in the DTA's system yet will receive a unique PEBT card and a notice explaining how the program works.  

    • Households in districts that provide universal school meals will be automatically enrolled. 

      • This includes certain families who are above the income level for SNAP nutritional school lunch programs.

    • You do not need to utilize the card if you choose not to. 

  • The Command Center has launched a Food Security Task Force with membership from state agencies, The Legislature, and other partners. 

    • They have 30 days to submit a plan so MA can make sure families have the food that they need during this time.