Governor Charlie Baker ended 2020 with a final COVID-19 press conference on Wednesday – and what may be a familiar message to Massachusetts residents ahead of the New Year holiday.
On the penultimate day of the year, Baker reminded residents of the rules and guidelines that discourage private meetings with people outside their immediate social circle. Or, as Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said, “Practice loyalty to the bubble, celebrate small and see you in 2021”.
“As we approach the New Year to close 2020 – finally,” said Baker, clapping his fists on the podium in the State House auditorium, “we are again asking everyone, if they can, to stay home. Please do not host large New Year’s gatherings in your own home and try to spend time with the people you live with. “
Baker said that any meeting with people outside the home is best kept “out” and “brief”.
“Wear a mask, be smart and recognize and understand that, in many ways, the fastest spread in this particular situation will be one that involves informal circumstances and situations in which people let their guard down,” he said.
His comments come amid concerns that Massachusetts may be on the verge of another post-holiday increase in infections, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19. Boston’s Logan Airport had the most daily commuters since the start of the pandemic in the run up to Christmas, although levels have still dropped significantly compared to previous years.
The Baker government urged residents not to celebrate winter holidays with people outside their homes, after Massachusetts saw a significant increase in coronavirus rates after Thanksgiving.
“Obviously we’ve been begging everyone for weeks to stay home for the holidays, just this year,” Baker said on Wednesday. “We also know how difficult this can be for everyone, especially considering all the sacrifices people have been making for most of the past 10 months. So, for everyone who stayed at home, I just want to thank on behalf of the administration and many of the people who work in our healthcare community, who continue to be the most challenged during this difficult period. “
After ordering an incremental reversal of the state’s reopening plan and tightening up covering requirements for restaurants, gyms and offices, Baker also lowered capacity limits for most companies last week to 25 percent of their maximum legal occupation in response to high levels of COVID-19.
Still, he said on Wednesday that rising levels of COVID are “putting significant pressure on our health care system” and officials will continue to “evaluate the data to determine whether future action should be taken”.
The rise in post-Thanksgiving cases – which averaged more than 4,500 new daily infections a day in early December – seemed to slow somewhat over the past week or so. The state reported 3,659 new cases on Tuesday. However, the average seven-day positive test rate in Massachusetts – after hovering around 6% in the first three weeks of the month – started to rise again, reaching 7.6% on Tuesday.
Massachusetts has also seen a steady increase in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 over the past two months. The state reported 2,259 hospitalizations on Tuesday and hospitals across the state are between 80% and 90% of capacity. As of this past Saturday, hospitals have been forced to cancel or postpone all non-emergency elective procedures, as long as the delay in treatment does not jeopardize the patient’s health.
State officials also announced a $ 668 million aid plan last week aimed at small businesses, such as restaurants, gyms and entertainment venues, which were hardest hit by the pandemic.
Despite initial hurdles in the national launch of the COVID-19 vaccine, Massachusetts began vaccinating residents and staff in hard-hit long-term care centers, as well as frontline health care professionals, with their first of two doses.
Baker acknowledged the hiccups in the vaccine’s distribution, which drew criticism from public health experts and recently resulted in reduced shipments to Massachusetts. But he said he did not expect it to affect the long-term schedule. State officials hope to gradually expand the group of people eligible for individuals over 65 and essential workers by February, before reaching the broader audience sometime in the spring.
“It can’t happen fast enough,” said Baker on Wednesday. “That said, we expected to get around 300,000 doses by the end of the calendar year and we will be receiving around 300,000 doses by the end of the year. I said, when all of this was discussed for the first time, about three or four weeks ago, that I expected the launch to be difficult. And it certainly lived up to my expectations in that regard. “
Although he was happy to reach the end of 2020, the governor reiterated that the pandemic will not go away anytime soon, even with vaccination efforts underway.
“I know what tomorrow night is; it’s new year’s eve, ”he said. “And I know that the beginning of the new year, for all of us, is a chance to breathe a deep sigh of relief, but I would just like to ask everyone to continue to be vigilant, keep their guard up and recognize and understand that the virus is still with us and will be with us in the coming months. “
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