Massachusetts Senator: “Swift, decisive measures” needed with lives at risk

Michael P. Norton

With infections on the rise across her district and half of her communities flagged red for high risk, Sen. Becca Rausch of Needham called Thursday for a different approach from the Baker administration, saying “we need swift, decisive measures to save lives and protect public health.”

Rausch issued a statement in which she said she was glad about the state’s vaccine distribution plan, but noted it will take six to nine months to execute, and faulted the governor for not taking steps to mitigate virus spread recommended by some experts. “By failing to deliver those decisive and expert-recommended measures, the Baker administration continues to put millions of Bay Staters at serious risk of illness and death,” Rausch said. “We need immediate action to eliminate testing deserts, meaningfully restrict indoor gatherings, and implement other commonsense and scientifically-indicated steps to actually curb the COVID spread. Waiting or failing to do so continues to hurt families, communities, schools and our local economies.”

Asked about specific steps she would take, Rausch’s office released to the News Service a list of 14 measures, including ensuring every resident in a high-risk community has access to a free Stop the Spread testing site, providing weekly tests for teachers and school staff, reducing indoor gatherings by closing indoor dining, casinos, and other nonessential businesses, reinstating the eviction moratorium and extending it to foreclosures, and clearing a backlog of requests for unemployment benefits. “This isn’t rocket science,” Rausch said. “People are getting sick and dying. Even small events have large ramifications. The vaccine won’t be available for the general public until at least half a year from now and won’t be available for young people for even longer. Mass General is at capacity disaster level. Every day of inaction means more people sick, more loss of life, more economic holes, more remote school, more risk to our children’s social-emotional development and mental health, and more depression, stress, anxiety, and other mental health struggles for all Bay Staters.”