Over 1,000 physicians throughout the state have signed on to a letter and petition to Gov. Charlie Baker, and they’re urging him to make social distancing guidelines even stricter, or they fear the health care system “may collapse.”

The letter also asks for an increase in manufacturing of personal protective equipment within U.S. borders and to make tests for COVID-19 more easily available.

“We practice in world renowned hospitals, safety-net hospitals, community hospitals and ambulatory centers,” part of the letter reads. “We are working hard to combat this pandemic, but we are calling upon you to take action now to protect the lives of physicians and health care workers across the Commonwealth.”


The letter and petition was delivered to Baker on Wednesday, according to Dr. Karen Leitner, one of the physicians who helped organize the petition.

Leitner noted that there has been some positive news about PPE availability – officials announced Monday that “millions” of masks, as well as swabs for coronavirus tests, were ordered for the state – but “we’re just going to need a lot more.”

“As you see, the curve of Massachusetts continues to go up rapidly,” Leitner, a primary care doctor, told Boston.com Thursday. “We haven’t seen a flattening. We know it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

The physicians are concerned about the impacts on health care if more strict social distancing guidelines — “ALL public gatherings of ANY size [should be] prohibited” — aren’t put in place.

“Without this step, our health care system may collapse. Cases of COVID-19 are continuing to double every 2-3 days,” the letter says.

It pushes Baker to work with other governors to put a “national 2 week pause” in place that would prohibit “all nonessential activities.”

“If all of us across the country simultaneously distanced ourselves from one another for at least two weeks, community transmission would slow down significantly, allowing time to produce, purchase, and provide essential PPE and equipment to our physicians and health care staff,” the letter says.


For PPE manufacturing, physicians want Baker to push the federal government to use the Defense Production Act to step up domestic manufacturing.

“We urge you to work with other governors to pressure the president to immediately use the DPA to increase the domestic production of medical supplies and equipment,” the letter says.

The physicians are also pushing for tests for the virus to become “widespread” and “easily accessible.”

“Please purchase and provide the now FDA-approved rapid, point-of-care diagnostic for coronavirus allowing physicians to diagnose the disease in about 45 minutes,” the letter says.

Besides the PPE concerns, it’s a challenging time for physicians, Leitner said. For them, the outlook is more of a “when” they get coronavirus, not “if.”

Some places are asking retired physicians to help, but the coronavirus mortality rate is higher for older adults.

“It’s really scary,” she said.

Read the full letter: