Gov. Charlie Baker: No plans to order mandatory 14-day shelter-in-place Share Shares Copy Link Copy

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ED: GOOD MORNING. IT’S SUNDAY, MARCH 15. GOVERNOR CHARLIE BAKER JOINS US LIVE IN-STUDIO. LET’S GO "ON THE RECORD." GOV. BAKER: I AM DECLARING A STATE OF EMERGENCY IN MASSACHUSETTS. ED: THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK AND THE DRAMATIC STEPS TO STOP THE SPREAD. THE GOVERNOR AND THE COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH HERE TO DISCUSS THE NECESSARY STEPS. WE GO "ON THE RECORD." ANNOUNCER: THE INSIDE WORD FROM WASHINGTON TO BEACON HILL, TODAY’S NEW MAKERS --NEWSMAKERS ARE GOING "ON THE RECORD." ED: WELCOME TO "OTR." I’M ED HARDING, ALONG WITH NEWSCENTER 5 POLITICAL REPORTER JANET WU. WE ARE JOINED LIVE THIS MORNING BY GOVERNOR CHARLIE BAKER, AND FOR AN IMPORTANT REASON. WE’RE DISCUSSING THE IMPACT OF THE CORONAVIRUS, A CRISIS THAT’S BEING DEALT WITH ON AN MINUTE BY MINUTE BASIS. WE APPRECIATE THE TIME THIS MORNING. JANET: THE LATEST NEWS IS SOUTH BOSTON IS CLOSING BARS ON THE START OF THE ST. PATRICK’S DAY HOLIDAY. THERE IS A RUMOR GOING AROUND THE STATE THAT YOU ARE PLANNING TO SET A QUARANTINE FOR 14 DAYS. CAN YOU ADDRESS THAT? GOV. BAKER: I HAVE HEARD THIS MYSELF. I HAVE HAD SENIOR LEADERS IN BUSINESS, HEALTH CARE, POLITICS, I HAVE HAD COMMUNITY LEADERS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS ALL TEXT OR CALL ME OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS AND SAY I UNDERSTAND ON MONDAY, YOU ARE BASICALLY WANT TO ORDER EVERYBODY TO SHELTER IN PLACE FOR TWO WEEKS. THE MESSAGE HAS BEEN EXACTLY THE SAME. I WOULD SAY FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE NO PLANS TO DO THAT. IT DOES HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHAT SOME OF THE RUN ON THE SUPERMARKETS AND OTHER DRY GOODS AND GENERAL STORES WOULD BE ABOUT. BUT THE OTHER THING I WOULD SAY IS PEOPLE NEED TO CHOOSE THEIR NEWS FROM TRUSTED SOURCES. WHETHER IT IS MASS.GOV/COVID-19 OR MANY OTHER AVAILABLE TRUSTED NEW SOURCES, THERE IS SO MUCH INFORMATION AT THIS POINT IN TIME, SOME OF WHICH IS LEGIT BUT A LOT OF WHICH IS WILD SPECULATION. JANET: IS THIS WHILE SPECULATION, THE 14 DAYS? GOV. BAKER: YES. ED: THE BARS IN SOUTH BOSTON ARE CLOSED. AT 11:00 IN THE MORNING, THAT IS THE BREAKING NEWS. IS THIS THE RIGHT STEP? GOV. BAKER: I THINK THE CITY DID THE RIGHT THING. WE PUT OUT GUIDANCE EARLIER IN THE WEEK, YOU HAD IT ON THE SCREEN, THE EMERGENCY ORDER FOLLOWED BY A LIMIT ON LARGE GATHERINGS AT 250 THAT APPLY TO ALL KINDS OF INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS. ONE OF THE REASONS BARS AND RESTAURANTS WERE NOT IN IT IS BECAUSE FOR THE MOST PART, THOSE ARE REGULATED AT THE LOCAL LEVEL. WE WANTED TO GIVE CITIES AND TOWNS THE FLEXIBILITY TO DO WHAT THEY THOUGHT MADE THE MOST SENSE FOR THEM. I SAW THE NEWS ON WHAT WAS GOING ON IN SOUTH BOSTON LAST NIGHT. I THINK THE MAYOR MADE THE RIGHT DECISION BY SHUTTING IT DOWN AT 11:00, AND I THINK HE IS MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION SHUTTING IT DOWN TODAY. I HOPE HE SHUTS IT DOWN ON TUESDAY. JANET: MASSACHUSETTS HAS THE FOURTH-LARGEST NUMBER OF CONFIRMED CASES IN THE UNITED STATES. THERE ARE MODELS PROJECTING THE LIKELY NUMBER OF CASES COULD BE SIGNIFICANT. DO YOU SEE THE STATE OF EMERGENCY BEING IN PLACE INTO THE SUMMER? GOV. BAKER: I DON’T WANT TO SPECULATE ON HOW LONG ETHIC IT WILL BE IN PLACE. I CAN TELL YOU THE EMERGENCY ORDER GIVES US THE ABILITY TO DO MANY THINGS WE CANNOT DO UNDER TRADITIONAL RULEMAKING. A SIMPLE EXAMPLE WOULD BE IN ONE DAY, WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE THE BOARD OF NURSING ADOPT A RULE THAT WOULD MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE NOT FROM MASSACHUSETTS WHO ARE VISITORS TO COME WORK IN MASSACHUSETTS IN HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATIONS THAT NEED THE SUPPORT. IT MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO PUT IN THE 250-DAY LARGE GATHERING PROHIBITION. IT COMES WITH A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF TOOLS. WE ARE ALSO GOING TO BE ASKING THE LEGISLATURE TO DO SOME THINGS WE CANNOT DO WITHOUT A CHANGE IN STATE LAW. THOSE KINDS OF THINGS WILL BE DRIVEN BY THE FACTS ON THE GROUND. I THINK THE LIKELIHOOD IT WILL BE GONE INTO OR THREE WEEKS OR TWO OR THREE MONTHS WILL BE DRIVEN BY THE FACTS. MY EXPECTATION IS -- THE GOAL IS TO AVOID THIS BIKE. CORONAVIRUS FOR 80% OF PEOPLE WILL FEEL LIKE THE FLU. FOR PEOPLE OVER 60, 70, AND 80, IT IS MORE DANGEROUS. IT SPREADS LIKE CRAZY. THAT IS THE BIGGEST ISSUE. IT IS ENORMOUSLY CONTAGIOUS. INSTEAD OF HAVING A SPIKE WHICH OVERWHELMS THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM AND ECONOMY IS TO SPREAD IT OUT. LET ME FINISH. AT THE END OF SPREADING IT OUT, YOU LEAVE THE EMERGENCY ORDER IN PLACE AS LONG AS IT TAKES. JANET: YOU EXPECT AFTER TESTING RAMPS UP, THE NUMBERS WILL BE EXPONENTIALLY HIGHER IN FOUR OR FIVE DAYS? GOV. BAKER: I THINK THE CDC’S CHANGE IN GUIDANCE AROUND WHO CAN AND SHOULD GET TESTED, WHICH WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED, AND SOME OF THE OTHER FEDERAL CHANGES THEY MADE TO BRING PRIVATE LABS INTO THIS SPACE WHO HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DO THOUSANDS OF THESE, I THINK YOU WILL SEE TONS MORE TESTING AND PROBABLY SEE A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE AFFECTED. ED: LET ME SHARE WITH YOU WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT. THE MOST COMMON QUESTION I GET IS ABOUT SCHOOLS. BOSTON IS CLOSING ITS SCHOOLS FOR SIX WEEKS. THIS WILL PREVENT HOSPITAL FROM REACHING MAXIMUM CAPACITY AS WELL. OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS ARE STARTING WITH A WEEK OR TWO OF CLOSURE. AS GOVERNOR, SHOULD YOU SHUT DOWN ALL SCHOOLS? GOV. BAKER: THIS IS AN EVOLVING SITUATION. YOU WANT TO MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON THE BEST FACTS AVAILABLE. IF YOU LOOK AROUND THE COUNTRY, STATES AND MUNICIPALITIES ARE PURSUING A VARIETY OF APPROACHES WITH RESPECT TO SCHOOLS. ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND POINTS OF VIEW FROM PUBLIC HEALTH FOLKS IS UNLESS YOU SHELTER EVERYBODY IN PLACE WHEN NOT IN SCHOOL, IF EVERYBODY IS DOING PLAY DATES AND BIRTHDAY PARTIES AND SHARING SNACKS AND ALL THE REST, YOU MAY NOT IS A FAIRLY ACHIEVE THE OBJECTIVE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR WHICH IS THE SOCIAL DISTANCING PIECE. YOU DO HAVE PLACES LIKE NEW YORK CITY WHERE MAYOR DE BLASIO HAS MADE IT CLEAR HE THINKS KIDS IN NEW YORK WOULD NOT NECESSARILY BE BETTER SERVED IF THEY CLOSED THEIR SCHOOLS. GOVERNOR CUOMO MADE PRETTY MUCH THE SAME ARGUMENT. I THINK FOR ALL OF US, YOU TAKE THE BEST GUIDANCE YOU CAN GET FROM THE CDC IN YOUR OWN PUBLIC HEALTH FOLKS, AND BASED ON THAT GUIDANCE, MAKE DECISIONS. IF ONE OF YOUR QUESTIONS IS, DO I BELIEVE OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS OR DISTRICTS OR SCHOOLS AS TESTING EXPANDS WILL MAKE DECISIONS TO CLOSE FOR SOME TIME, I THINK THE ANSWER IS YES. ED: THE GOVERNOR OF RHODE ISLAND CLOSED SCHOOLS. AT THE MOMENT, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO CLOSE THEM ALL RIGHT NOW? GOV. BAKER: IF THE FACTS CHANGE, OUR DECISION PROCESS WILL CHANGE. THE THING TO REMEMBER IS YOU WANT TO MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON THE FACTS AS THEY ARE. AND THERE ARE PLENTY OF FOLKS IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMUNITY WHO WOULD ARGUE JUST CLOSING SCHOOLS, IF YOU DON’T DO SOMETHING ABOUT WHAT EVERYBODY DOES WHEN SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED, DOES NOT NECESSARILY HELP YOU WITH TRANSMISSION. JANET: DO YOU THINK WE CAN GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE CAN BE TESTING 1000 PEOPLE A DAY IN MASSACHUSETTS, WHICH MANY EXPERTS SAY IS NECESSARY TO BRING THIS UNDER CONTROL? GOV. BAKER: I THINK THE ANSWER IS YES WE NEED TO AND I BELIEVE WE WILL. I DON’T WANT PUT A DATE ON IT BUT IT WILL BE OUR OBJECTIVE TO GET THERE QUICKLY. JANET: THE PRESIDENT HAS TALKED ABOUT DRIVE-THROUGH TESTING CENTERS. DO YOU SEE THAT COMING INTO PLAY IN MASSACHUSETTS AND HOUSTON? --HOW SOON? GOV. BAKER: THE DRIVE-THROUGH TESTING IS INTERESTING BECAUSE IT ISOLATES THE PROCESS OF GETTING TESTING FOR SOMEBODY WHO HAS MET A CERTAIN LEVEL OF ASSUMPTIONS WITH RESPECT TO WHETHER THEY MIGHT BE INFECTED. MOVING IT OUT OF THE HOSPITAL SETTING, OUT OF THE DOCTOR’S OFFICE, PUTTING IT IN A SEPARATE LOCATION, THAT IS AN ISOLATION ISSUE WHICH COMES WITH SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS. I CERTAINLY THINK YOU WILL PROBABLY SEE SOON THAT KIND OF THING ONE ON IN THE COMMONWEALTH. JANET: DO YOU KNOW PEOPLE PUTTING PLANS TOGETHER TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN? WILL WE SEE THEM IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO? IS THAT TOO SOON? GOV. BAKER: I HATE TO SPECULATE ON EXACTLY WHAT DAY IT IS BECAUSE I DO NOT WANT TO BE HELD TO A DAY, BUT I BELIEVE SHORTLY YOU WILL SEE THAT KIND OF EXERCISE GOING ON IN MASSACHUSETTS. ED: I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE FINANCIAL RAMIFICATIONS FOR BUSINESSES AND WORKERS WHO DO NOT HAVE THE OPTION OF WORKING FROM HOME. YOU KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT. I’M TALKING ABOUT THOSE ON HOURLY WAGES. FOR THEM, THE EXPANDED UNEMPLOYMENT WILL NOT CLOSE THE GAP. CAN THE STATE DO SOME THING TO HELP? GOV. BAKER: I SAID EARLIER ONE OF THE THINGS WE WILL BE DOING IS ASKING THE LEGISLATURE FOR HELP ON THINGS WE CANNOT DO ON OUR OWN. ONE THING WE WILL ASK FOR HELP ON IS WITH RESPECT TO AN EMPLOYMENT. WE WILL FILE ON THAT TOMORROW. I’VE MENTIONED THIS TO FOLKS IN THE LEGISLATURE ALREADY. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS WE NEED TO DO AS WE GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF RAMPING UP TESTING AND DEALING WITH OTHER ISSUES TO DEAL WITH THE DISRUPTIONS THAT COME WITH ALL OF THIS. I CERTAINLY BELIEVE THAT IS A BIG PART OF THE EXERCISE. JANET: BEFORE WE HAD YOUR COMMISSION OF PUBLIC HEALTH JOIN US, I WANT TO ASK YOU QUICKLY, WILL YOU GET ON AN AIRPLANE WITHIN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS? GOV. BAKER: I DO NOT THINK PEOPLE SHOULD BE DOING NONESSENTIAL TRAVEL. JANET: WILL YOU BE GOING TO RESTAURANTS FOR DINNER? GOV. BAKER: AS LONG AS I THINK I CAN DELIVER ON THE SOCIAL DISTANCING ISSUE, I DO NOT THINK THAT IS INAPPROPRIATE. I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE PURSUING TAKEOUT FROM RESTAURANTS, ARGUING THEY WOULD RATHER PICK IT UP AT THE FRONT WINDOW OR FRONT DESK AND TAKE IT HOME. I THINK THAT SORT OF THING IS PERFECTLY APPROPRIATE. JANET: I ASSUME YOU HAVE NOT BEEN TESTED YOURSELF? GOV. BAKER: I HAVE NOT BEEN TESTED. I AM NOT SYMPTOMATIC. JANET: WILL YOU IF YOU FIND OUT YOUR COME IN CONTACT WITH SOMEONE? GOV. BAKER: COURSE, AND EVERYBODY SHOULD. ED: THE GOVERNOR IS GOING TO STAY WITH US. WE ARE GOING TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK. WHEN WE COME BACK, THE CO

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