BOSTON (WHDH) - Nurse-to-patient ratio requirements in Massachusetts are being waived during the coronavirus pandemic.

Staffing requirements and nurse-to-patient ratios will be temporarily suspended at Massachusetts hospitals, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders.

Health care providers are also being allowed to increase their bed and care capacity without going through the necessary process, Sudders said.

This as the number of coronavirus cases skyrocketed to 2,417 confirmed cases on Thursday with 25 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the state.

The state is also in need of more personal protective gear after receiving 17 percent of what it requested from the national stockpile.

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