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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
CORONAVIRUS Q&A WITH REP. JON SANTIAGO — With coronavirus cases on the rise in Massachusetts, I spoke with state Rep. Jon Santiago, who works as a doctor in the Boston Medical Center emergency room when he's not on Beacon Hill. Santiago trained at Boston Medical Center for four years, and is in his first year as an attending physician. Our conversation was edited for length and clarity.
What's it like in the emergency room you work in right now?
It's been intense. What we've seen over the past week, given the state of emergency, the national emergency and the fact that community spread is going on in seven counties in the state of Massachusetts, efforts to address it have picked up significantly. Now people are coming in, some of them sick, some of them not so sick, but many of them having concerns about whether they've been infected by coronavirus. That puts us in a difficult position given the fact that we need personal protective equipment, and we need to make sure those people are triaged appropriately. The worst thing in the world is to bring these people to the emergency department, expose them to nurses, doctors, medical personnel and other patients who haven't been exposed. Things are in flux. The testing situation has made it all the more difficult, but I'm optimistic. Things will get worse, no doubt, before they get better, but the medical community is up for the challenge.
This time next week, what do you expect it to look like inside Massachusetts emergency rooms?
There's no doubt there will be more cases and more people concerned with symptoms. With each day that passes, the number of people infected increases. That's two-fold because we're detecting more cases and we're scaling up testing. I'm going to work Friday, Saturday, Sunday again, and it'll be interesting to compare both experiences. We're still trying to put things together, put teams together. We've dedicated floors in the hospital to specific COVID-19 floors to cohort these patients that we suspect have the virus. And we've gone so far as to put tents outside ... to triage people outside the emergency room, to really decrease the amount of exposure that they will have and cause to other medical personnel.
Should the state take more drastic measures to enforce social distancing? Gov. Charlie Baker has said the state will not issue a shelter-in-place order, contrary to rumors. Has the state gone far enough to keep people away from each other?
All options should be on the table, there's no doubt. Given what we're seeing in Italy right now, a day or so ago there were 350 deaths in one day. And quite frankly, the medical community, the hospitals — it's the number of hospital beds and ICUs. They can't handle what's at stake right here. If we don't really do our best to limit contact, to increase efforts to social distance, we're in for what Italy experienced. So yeah, I think that should be on the table. I'm sure Gov. Baker is conversing with a number of stakeholders, government partners, people in the private sector as well. That should be something on the table for sure.
What's something you wish people better understood about coronavirus?
The thing that has me most concerned, particularly after watching what happened on St. Patrick's Day weekend, was that so many young people were out there given the way that the virus has been playing out. It's so asymptomatic in young people, particularly children, and we know that these folks can still pass on the virus, they're still infectious and contagious. Folks in my generation, people who are healthy, younger, should pay special attention to how they're interacting with other folks -- are they washing their hands? It's really all hands on deck. Everyone can play a role in this. Just because you're not a doctor or nurse or in the medical community, you play just as important of a role in your efforts to socially distance yourselves from other people.
As a state lawmaker and a doctor, what happens to business on Beacon Hill, like the state budget? Will the Legislature be thrown off kilter?
Things will have to change with respect to how government is going to operate. From the Speaker on down, we're all committed to making sure that government is still operating and being held accountable and working with its constituents and with its partners. I'm part of a small workforce that Speaker Robert DeLeo has designated to look at the internal workings in the House. The conversation is 'How can we still function?' It's not a good idea to have 160 members of the House of Representatives show up and, you know, shake hands and cast a vote. But the Speaker is committed, as I think many members of the House and leadership and myself are, to handle the business of the day. No doubt, that starts with addressing the coronavirus epidemic. As you saw last week, we passed the $15 million bill to infuse some funds, and over the course of this week my hope is that we can begin to address the issues that people will face as the coronavirus begins to affect other parts of the economy and families.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker, Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf, and Massachusetts Port Authority CEO Lisa Wieland tour a new screening facility at Boston Logan international Airport. The State House is closed to visitors, though officials and employees are still allowed. Rep. Richard Neal and Dr. Mark Keroack, president and CEO of Baystate Health, hold a telephone town hall on the coronavirus. Rep. Joe Kennedy III holds a virtual town hall on coronavirus. Rep. Katherine Clark is a guest on MSNBC.
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GO GLOBAL ... FROM HOME: Global Translations, presented by Morgan Stanley, serves as your guide to understanding the global issues that impact us all without having to travel further than your inbox! You'll learn more about the power players and trends shaping our planet in ways you can apply to your own work and life. In the latest edition, author Ryan Heath ties together the global response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and the ways it's affecting 2020 election season in the United States, the health and financial crisis in Italy, and more. SUBSCRIBE TODAY.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Number of state coronavirus cases rises to 218 as Baker announces help to local health boards," by Martin Finucane and Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: "The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Massachusetts has risen to 218, the state Department of Public Health said Tuesday. The number was up from the 197 cases announced Monday. Experts say the number is likely just the tip of the iceberg, with the actual tally of cases statewide possibly in the thousands. They also say the case numbers are likely to rise as more testing is performed."
- "Remote meetings. Shuttered offices. Amid outbreak, some fear government is receding from view," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "From Somerville to Pittsfield, government buildings are closed to residents. Public hearings have ground to a halt at the State House. Municipal boards are moving to remote meetings — when they hold them at all. The expansive effort by government officials to thin crowds and discourage social interaction is designed to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. But it's had another effect: The traditional ways people get access to their elected officials and hold them to account are disappearing."
- "The rumor that won't die — shelter in place," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "Gov. Charlie Baker on Sunday denied he was preparing to issue a 14-day shelter-in-place order, calling it 'wild speculation.' On Monday, he dismissed the idea again, although he said he would review President Trump's guidance for limiting gatherings to groups of no more than 10 people (15 less than what Baker has ordered). And on Tuesday afternoon he took another stab at putting the rumor to rest. 'Let me be clear,' he told reporters at the State House. 'We are not planning any shelter-in-place orders.'"
- "Mass. official coronavirus count is 218, but experts say true number could be as high as 6,500," by Naomi Martin, Boston Globe: "Two scientists studying the spread of the coronavirus say the number of infected residents in Massachusetts could be at least five times the number the state is reporting and possibly much higher, with one estimate ranging up to 6,500. The official tally reported by the state rose to 218 on Tuesday, but that number does not account for large numbers of infected people who have not been tested, particularly those who are not yet symptomatic or have only mild symptoms."
- "School shutdowns highlight technological divide," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "Schools are scrambling for ways for students to learn from home amid mandatory closures from the coronavirus pandemic, but a technological divide means that many districts lack the ability to set up virtual classrooms. Gov. Charlie Baker ordered all public schools closed for three weeks, beginning Tuesday, as part of a broader effort to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus."
- "Coronavirus response: Massachusetts executive branch employees are remote until April 3 unless they perform core functions," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "Massachusetts executive branch employees will be remote for the rest of the month unless they perform core functions due to the spread of the coronavirus, according to guidelines announced by the governor's office Tuesday night. Gov. Charlie Baker ordered executive branch employees who are not performing core functions to remain home until April 3, extending a work-from-home order issued for Monday and Tuesday."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "At Boston immigration office, crowded waiting room, little direction," by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: "Imagine sticking your finger into a fingerprint scanner that hasn't been and won't be cleaned after dozens, if not hundreds, of other people have touched it. That's what local US Citizenship and Immigration Services employees describe taking place at their offices as they worry about what that could mean for immigrants submitting to the scans and fret about catching coronavirus themselves."
- "Hospitalizations for coronavirus escalate in Greater Boston," by Priyanka Dayal McCluskey, Liz Kowalczyk and Brian MacQuarrie, Boston Globe: ""Massachusetts hospitals began to see a mounting number of suspected coronavirus patients Tuesday, an ominous sign for the state and its medical centers as the virus continues to spread. Massachusetts General Hospital officials said the number of patients suspected to have COVID-19 in their emergency room or in beds had more than tripled to 53 between Monday and Tuesday, in addition to three other confirmed cases in intensive care and three in regular beds."
- "Boston's Subdued St. Patrick's Day Marks Uncertain Future For Hospitality Industry," by Stephanie Leydon, WGBH News: "One week ago, Sam Hendler, co-owner of a restaurant and bar in Framingham, was tallying the toll the coronavirus had taken on his business. Sales were slipping, and like business owners everywhere, he wondered what would happen next. On Sunday, Gov. Charlie Baker offered a decisive answer. In an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Baker ordered all bars and restaurants to stop seating customers and instead provide only take-out options until April 6."
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| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "At virtual town hall, Moulton hints at coming recession," by Michael Cronin, The Salem News: "While Gov. Charlie Baker has forbidden groups of 25 people or more to gather in public due to the highly contagious coronavirus, around 150 people gathered virtually Monday evening to view Congressman Seth Moulton's town hall address on Facebook Live. Originally, the event was to be held at Manchester Essex Regional High School. Due to coronavirus concerns, Moulton's office announced early last week it would move the session online."
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| MARKEYCHUSETTS |
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- "Coronavirus: Sen. Ed Markey urges Department of Homeland Security to halt deportations, release detainees amid outbreak," by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: "With the number of worldwide COVID-19 cases approaching 200,000, Sen. Ed Markey on Tuesday urged the Department of Homeland Security to stop 'needless deportations' and to release immigrant detainees 'who pose no public safety threat.' In a statement, Markey described crowded U.S. immigration centers as a public health 'disaster waiting to happen,' saying that Immigration and Custom Enforcement had a 'history of medical neglect and substandard care.'"
- "We need a Manhattan Project to fight the coronavirus pandemic," by Sen. Ed Markey and Peter L. Slavin, Boston Globe: "They pump hand sanitizer into their palms, then don gowns, gloves, masks, and eye protection. Suited up, they march purposefully into battle against a formidable pathogen, doing the best they can to manage symptoms with fluids and compassion. There is no medication yet that can stop the spread of COVID-19. No vaccine to prevent its locust-like rampage across the continents. There is just personal protective equipment ."
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| KENNEDY COMPOUND |
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- "Coronavirus relief: Congressman Joe Kennedy proposes $4,000 for adults making under $100,000 a year," by Tom Matthews, MassLive.com: "Massachusetts Congressman Joe Kennedy III is proposing giving $4,000 to American adults making less than $100,000 a year in response to the coronavirus outbreak. 'An unprecedented pandemic demands an unprecedented response from our government,' Kennedy remarked in a news conference. Adults making more than $100,000 a year would receive $2,000. Individuals 18 years old and under would receive $1,000."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "FLORIDA MAN," — Globe: "A star is gone, but he'll always burn bright," "Hospitalizations escalate as spread becomes clearer." |
| FROM THE 413 |
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- "Distance learning: With campuses closed, professors grapple with how to teach their courses online," by Michael Connors, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "To keep students and the greater public safe from the growing COVID-19 pandemic, each of the five colleges (Amherst, Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke, Smith and the University of Massachusetts Amherst) last week decided to close their campuses to students for an extended period of time and transition to online learning. The decisions not only affect thousands of pupils, many of whom are leaving university for the final time, but also the area's professors."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "To have and to hold off: Couples scramble to reschedule weddings," by Elaine Thompson, Telegram & Gazette: "Jenn Widener and her fiancé have been planning for their special day in Sturbridge for about a year. But because of growing concerns about the quickly-spreading novel coronavirus, their May wedding will likely have to be postponed. To ensure social distancing to help fight the spread of the highly contagious disease, Gov. Charlie Baker has banned gatherings of more than 25 people. President Trump on Monday recommended the limit be 10."
- "Selectmen candidate calls for Dracut to 'defy Governor's directive' around closures, cancellations," by Meg McIntyre, The Lowell Sun: "A local elected official and candidate for the Board of Selectmen is calling for the town to 'defy the Governor's directive' and allow businesses and religious groups to continue operating as usual amid concerns around the novel coronavirus, drawing criticism from other town officials. Planning Board Chairman Mark Pease, who is one of five candidates vying for two seats on the Board of Selectmen in the town's upcoming May 4 election, released a statement Sunday asking the board to call an emergency meeting and direct town departments to defy Baker's mandates."
- "Mayor: Shuttered Quincy Medical Center could be used for coronavirus response," by Mary Whitfill, The Patriot Ledger: "Mayor Thomas Koch said city officials have spent the last several days tossing around ideas for how to respond to the recent influx of coronavirus cases, including potentially utilizing Quincy Medical Center as a testing site or treatment facility. On Tuesday, the mayor spoke to the city's first responders and officials from Manet Community Health Center, South Shore Health Systems, Brewster and Congressman Stephen Lynch about the needs in the community."
- LOL: "Coronavirus toilet paper shortage: Please don't follow Rob Gronkowski's advice; it will clog your sewage system," by Nick O'Malley, MassLive.com: "Rob Gronkowski seems like he's trying to be helpful, he really is. But the retired New England Patriots tight end really shouldn't be your source when it comes to plumbing advice. So please, no matter what Gronk says, do not buy tissue paper with the idea that it can be used and flushed like toilet paper. It cannot, as tissue paper does not break down the way toilet paper does ."
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? The home teams are not playing.
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