‘Charlie
Parker of Massachusetts’
The Herald couldn’t resist
– and neither can we – when it comes to pointing out Joe Biden’s
good-intentioned but botched shout-out yesterday for our very own
“Charlie Parker of Massachusetts.” … Hey, we all need a laugh
these days, right? … Anyway, back to the governor’s emergency
coronavirus orders. …
It’s
still OK to panic-buy at supermarkets
So what are essential
versus non-essential businesses under Gov. Charlie Parker/Baker’s new
stay-at-home advisory issued yesterday? WBUR’s Ally Jarmanning has an
excellent list of what essential businesses are open and
what non-essential businesses are closed under the governor’s
emergency edict.
The good news for those
worried about home and other provisions: Supermarkets, pharmacies,
gas stations, liquor and convenience stores, and restaurant take-out
services will remain open and residents can drive to them when
needed. Btw: The exemptions are in line with what other states are
doing regarding shelter in place/stay at home policies.
But
marijuana industry cries foul over Baker’s essential-business split
decision
Cannabis company
executives are slamming Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision to exempt
medical marijuana dispensaries — not to mention liquor stores — but
not retail pot shops from his statewide closure order
yesterday, Felicia Gans and Dan Adams at
the Globe report. Word of the shutdown sparked a run on recreational
shops on Monday, including in Brockton, where that city’s only shop
drew huge crowds, the Enterprise reports.
Grocery
stores installing plexiglass barriers to protect workers
They’re now officially
considered “essential” workers – and some grocery store chains are
making plans to protect their employees by installing plexiglass
barriers at checkout lanes in an attempt to limit the spread of the
coronavirus, WCVB reports.
Meanwhile, in other
supermarket-related news, from Universal Hub: “Cambridge orders
coronavirus-related ban on reusable bags at stores, lifts 10-cent fee
for store bags.”
So
what happens if you don’t comply with social-distancing rules? Hint:
The police are watching
Steph Solis at MassLive
reports that Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration is “now imposing a
fine for anyone who overtly violates the ‘social-distancing’
guidelines issued by the state Department of Public Health.”
In Haverhill, the mayor
has ordered police to keep a watch over public parks and other
gathering places now that the governor has enacted a stay-at-home
advisory to combat the spread of coronavirus, reports the Eagle Tribune’s Allison Corneau.
Ten-hut:
Walsh drafts retired Army general to review Boston’s emergency
response plans
Mayor Marty Walsh is
calling up the reserves: Retired four-star Army Gen. Stanley
McChrystals’s consulting firm. The mission: To review the city of
Boston’s emergency plans and response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Herald’s Sean Phillip Cotter and the
Globe’s Danny McDonald have the details.
Commissioner
to insurers: Be flexible with premium payments, please
This is a hidden big
monthly cost facing many hard-pressed people, in addition to rent and
mortgage payments. From SHNS’s Matt Murphy: “Insurance Commissioner
Gary Anderson published a notice on Monday urging all insurers,
including those who provide health coverage to millions of residents,
to provide employers and individuals ‘as much flexibility as is
reasonably possible’ on the payment of premiums during the public health
crisis.”
Chaos
in Washington: Tempers flare over stimulus bill, Trump considers
reopening economy
It was a wild day in
Washington yesterday, as tempers flared and Democrats and Republicans
squabbled over a national economic stimulus bill, the Washington Post reports. But
there were signs last night that lawmakers are close to agreement on
a $2 trillion economic-stimulus package. The Herald’s Joe Battenfeld is
blaming Democrats for delaying passage of the legislation, saying
they’re trying to stuff standard liberal-agenda items into the bill.
Meanwhile, yet more policy
confusion emerged yesterday when President Trump openly said he’s
considering relaxing social-distancing requirements, arguing that the
economy is suffering too much and that the coronavirus cure cannot be
“be worse than the problem itself,” the NYT reports. Public health
officials say relaxing social-distancing rules is exactly what the
president shouldn’t be doing. The Herald’s Jeff Robbins is ripping
into President Trump over just about everything he’s said to date.
Keller
at Large: Baker’s superior political instincts are serving him well
In his latest Keller at
Large on Massterlist segment, veteran political journalist
Jon Keller takes a look at what President Trump is saying and doing
versus what Gov. Charlie Baker is saying and doing regarding the
coronavirus crisis – and he’ll take Baker’s leadership style over
Trump’s any day. From Jon: “Baker’s superior political instincts are
serving him well.” Check out Jon’s thoughts on national-vs.-state
leadership.
Comptroller
struggles to pay state bills and employees
Amid the coronavirus
emergency and a slowly cratering economy, Comptroller Bill McNamara’s
office is working to ensure that payments related to the state’s
coronavirus response are made as quickly as possible and that state
employee payrolls are met, reports SHNS’s Colin Young. It isn’t an
easy task and some payment systems are apparently under strain, but
the checks are indeed flowing.
Special
legislative elections postponed till May and June; lawmakers mull
future signature-gathering requirements
As expected, Beacon Hill
lawmakers have indeed postponed this month’s planned Senate and House
special elections – and yesterday set specific make-up dates:
Tuesday, May 19, for the two vacant Senate seats, and Tuesday, June 2
for the two vacant House seats, as SHNS’s Katie Lannan and
MassLive’s Jeanette DeForge report.
But now another
election-related problem is rearing its head: What about election
signature-gathering procedures moving forward amid coronavirus
fears? SHNS’s Colin Young (pay wall)
reports that House and Senate leaders are discussing the “possibility
of lowering the number of signatures certain candidates must collect
to secure ballot access.”
Hometown
hero: Briefings superstar Dr. Fauci, the pride of Holy Cross
He’s not just a star —
he’s our star. Bill Doyle at the Telegram reminds us that Dr. Anthony
Fauci, a key point person in the federal government’s coronavirus
fight, is a 1962 grad of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester,
not to mention the personal hero of fellow Holy Cross alum Bob
Cousy.
Fyi: We felt it imperative
to claim Fauci as our own ASAP, because reports are mounting that his
tell-it-like-it-is approach is increasingly drawing the ire of President
Trump. The Globe’s Kevin Cullen writes that
it sure looks like Fauci’s days are numbered at the White House.
Transportation
updates: Toll revenues plunge, Amtrak cancels Acela trains, MBTA
juggles priorities
As the coronavirus scare
reduces traffic on state roadways, the state is seeing a dramatic
drop in toll revenues and expects to take a hit of $38 million in
lost collections through June, assuming current trends hold,
reports SHNS’s Chris Lisinski (pay wall)
and CommonWealth’s Bruce Mohl. State Transportation
Secretary Stephanie Pollack says the state is well-equipped to handle
the shortfall. … Meanwhile, Universal Hub reports that
Amtrak has cancelled Boston-NY-DC Acela Express service due to a lack
of demand for fast-train trips. … SHNS’s Chris Lisinski (pay wall)
reports in a separate story that the MBTA is also grappling with
lower ridership and falling revenue, while GM Steve Poftak is hinting
“there may be a situation in the future” where the T
further scales back transit services.
‘A
Coronavirus End Game That Avoids A Depression’
Boston University economist Laurence Kotlikoff has a plan to avoid
long-term economic disaster: The National Governors Association
should band together to set coordinated responses to the coronavirus
crisis – and ignore most everything President Trump is saying. The
key to saving the economy, he writes at Forbes, is to kill off the virus outbreak ASAP so it doesn’t keep
rearing its head over the next year and drawing out the economic
pain.
…
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