6/30/2020 Press Conference on COVID-19 Updates

/

On June 30th, Governor Baker gave a press conference to provide a COVID-19 update on Testing, Hospitalizations, Travel Restrictions, and Emergency Housing Aid.

Here is the summary.

Testing

  • Yesterday, 6,481 tests were reported in MA with 101 new positive cases reported. MA has now reached over 1,058,000 tests administered so far. 

  • MA will continue to test large amounts of individuals every day as well as to utilize their contact tracing initiative. 

  • The Administration is also broadening its approach to detecting population-level screening for COVID-19. Last week, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs announced a pilot program through the MA water resource authority to test wastewater for early warnings of COVID-19. 

    • Samples will be collected 3 times a week in different regions and sent to the Department of Public Health. 

    • The pilot program will hopefully allow MA to use a more targeted approach to isolate and slow the spread of COVID-19. 

  • On June 22nd, MA was ranked as having the lowest transmission rate of COVID-19 in the country by a group of academics and statisticians that monitor state data. 

    • Please continue to do your part to slow the spread as COVID-19 will not be taking a summer vacation. Please continue to be vigilant in your daily activities, this means wearing face coverings, hand washing, hygiene, and social distancing. 

Hospitalizations

  • As of yesterday, there are currently 762 individuals hospitalized as a result of COVID-19, and 138 are in the ICU. 

  • Please do not hesitate to contact your health care provider about any concerns you may have, COVID-19 related, or not. Telehealth is currently a covered benefit in MA and residents should continue to utilize it. 

Travel Restrictions

  • Due to lower infection rates across the Northeast region, the Administration is updating the state’s travel guidance. 

    • Effective July 1st, all travelers arriving in MA, including MA residents returning home, are instructed to self-quarantine for 14 days unless they are travelers from Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, and New Jersey.

      • These surrounding states, like MA, are seeing a significant decline in cases and hospitalizations. Travelers from these seven states are exempt from the 14-day self-quarantine directive. 

    • In addition, workers designated by the federal government as essential critical infrastructure workers continue to be exempt from the directive for work purposes. 

  • All people are instructed not to travel to MA if they are displaying symptoms associated with COVID-19.  

Emergency Housing Aid

  • In March, MA announced an emergency infusion of $5 million into the state’s main homeless prevention program, RAFT. MA now knows the need is even greater than this and announced a new rental assistance program, the Emergency Rental, and Mortgage Assistance Program. 

    • This is a $20 million fund that is a mix of federal funding the Commonwealth received from the CARES Act and other federal reserves. This will help expand access to emergency housing resources for more families in need.

    • Starting tomorrow, low-income households that are facing financial hardships related to COVID-19 will be able to apply for help with your rent or your mortgage. Eligible families can apply through 11 regional RAFT administering agencies.

      • These agencies include ‘Wayfinders’ in Springfield, ‘MetroHousing’ in Boston, and ‘Community TeamWork Inc.” in Lowell.

  • The Department of Housing and Community Development has received more than $160 million in funding through the federal CARES Act.

    • This funding will support various programs to address the economic effects of COVID-19 on MA communities.

      • This includes more than $10 million that will fund the Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance Program, which will provide up to $4,000 per household.

      • This also includes $22 million in community service block grants for MA’s community action agencies to undertake anti-poverty work.