COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to drop as Baker’s Reopening Advisory Board set to reveal plans

With the Reopening Advisory Board due to submit its report on a reopening plan on Monday, statistics involving COVID-19 in the state once again continue in an overall positive direction.

Massachusetts has seen 1,239 more positive cases in the last 24 hours. A decrease from the previous 24 hour period.

The Massachusetts Department of Health statistics show a rise in total cases to 83,421 with 110 more reported dead for a total of 5,592.

Massachusetts had seen 1,685 more positive cases in the previous 24 hour period.

Testing continues to be ramped up as 11,318 tests were performed, just under 3,000 less than the total released yesterday, to increase the overall total to 435,679.

Cases by City and Town as of May 12th

Massachusetts residents subject to COVID-19 quarantine by current status up to May 12th
• Total of individuals subject to quarantine: 48,372
• Total of individuals who have completed monitoring (no longer in quarantine): 27,812
• Total of individuals currently undergoing monitoring/under quarantine: 20,560

According to the CDC, as of May 14th, the total amount of cases in the country is 1,384,930 with 83,947 dead.

In today’s press conference, Baker stated the he urges businesses, who can do so, to allow employees to continue to work-from-home as the reopening process continues.

In a procedural move, the essential services order, which was set to expire at midnight on Sunday, has been extended to allow the Reopening Advisory Board findings to be announced on Monday.

“I continue to be amazed by the ingenuity and toughness that the people of Massachusetts are displaying in this fight and these employers are taking the right steps to balance work and health,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “As Massachusetts businesses reopen, we are asking employers to continue to work from home when they can so that more social distancing remains possible in our transit system and in our workplaces. We are home to some of the smartest and most innovative economies in the world and I know we can and will rise to this challenge together.”

“Working from home when it’s possible works for employees in higher risk groups, those with children but no child care or school and those who may simply be anxious about returning to the workplace,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “And it works for employers, because keeping even part of the workforce working from home on any given day makes social distancing easier in the workplace. What was a crisis response plan is now a win-win strategy that meets the needs of companies and their workers.”

The Massachusetts Competitive Partnership (MACP), Massachusetts Business Roundtable (MBR), Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM), Massachusetts High Tech Council (MHTC), Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio), and Kendall Square Association (KSA) polled their member companies regarding their plans for extending Work from Home (WFH) policies even after the MA economy reopens. Scores of companies, including the fifty-four companies employing an aggregate of approximately 150,000 employees listed below, have responded that they will be extending their WFH policies for the remainder of the spring, with numerous reporting intentions to extend into the summer and, in some cases, for the remainder of 2020.

Companies that will continue to extend their Work from Home policies past the reopening date include:

AECOM
John Hancock
Akamai Technologies
The Kraft Group
Alkermes
Liberty Mutual
Alnylam
MassMutual
Amgen
Millipore Sigma
Analog Devices
MFS Investment Management
Autodesk
MITRE
Bank of America
Monster.com
Biogen
National Grid
bluebird bio
Novartis
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Oasis Systems
Peoples United Bank
Boston Scientific
PTC
Brooks Automation
Putnam Investments
Care.com
Rapid7
Cigna
Raytheon Technologies
Comcast
RSM
Dassault Systèmes
Sage Therapeutics
Dell Technologies
Sanofi
Deloitte
Sarepta Therapeutics
Eaton Vance
Siemens
EY
State Street
Facebook
Takeda
Foundation Medicine
Tango Therapeutics
Google
Tufts Health Plan
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Verizon
Ipsen
Wayfair
Iron Mountain