Representative Mike Connolly of Somerville and Cambridge spoke at today’s virtual press conference

Nearly 30 organizations and over 200 physicians, state legislators, community and public health leaders have signed a letter urging Governor Baker to act to concretely curb the spread of COVID-19 by implementing stringent workplace protections, provide actionable contact tracing reports, and enact legislation to help Massachusetts residents comply with public health directives. The group issued the letter publicly at a virtual press conference on Tuesday, September 29, 2020 at 11 A.M. 

Grab video from the recorded press conference here: https://vimeo.com/463127389/6590698604?utm_source=email&utm_medium=vimeo-cliptranscode-201504&utm_campaign=28749

As students return to school, Massachusetts COVID-19 infection rates rise, and Boston COVID-19 cases climb into the red zone, communities with large populations of essential workers and people of color continue to suffer high rates of COVID-19 infection. Massachusetts infection rates remain alarmingly high when compared to other countries, as well as to some nearby states. This continued spread, advocates argue, is due to a lack of state-level policies to protect residents, especially in the workplace, which contributes to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of color, who are more likely to work in front-line jobs. 

“Governor Baker has neglected to protect Black and Brown people,” Natalicia Tracy, Executive Director of the Brazilian Workers’ Center, said. “They are the ones who are working on the front lines the most – and they are dying the most.” In addition to weak workplace safety measures in our state, she highlighted the Work and Family Mobility Act, because “immigrant workers are carpooling and taking buses and trains because they are not able to get a drivers’ license. They cannot physically distance on their way to work.

“In the wake of unabated police violence against unarmed Black civilians, and the recent grand jury decision in the Breonna Taylor case, Governor Baker’s emphasis on personal responsibility and ‘increased enforcement’ in ‘high risk’ communities, risks further marginalizing communities of color, rather than partnering and building trust to combat the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and racism together,” said Afi Semenya, MD, MPH, a family medicine physician practicing in Boston, and member of the Massachusetts Coalition for Health Equity, which sponsored the letter. 

Signatories of the letter point to recent reports that nearly 60 workers in Massachusetts are known to have died of COVID-19 after being exposed in the workplace. Meanwhile, over 300 workers reported to the Attorney General’s office that employers weren’t requiring symptomatic employees to stay home, and 377 reported they had experienced COVID-related retaliation from their employers, according to the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health. Massachusetts does not collect occupational information for COVID cases, and workplace protections are not enforceable.

“Letting companies self-certify their compliance with COVID regulations is like letting the wolf guard the hen house,” said Lara Jirmanus, MD MPH, a family physician practicing in Revere and a member of Massachusetts Coalition for Health Equity. “If Governor Baker is serious about protecting workers’ lives, workplace protections need to be designed jointly by workers and their unions, and their employers. No one should have to die for their work, and people are being forced to go to work with symptoms, which is dangerous for everyone.” 

“Governor Baker is ignoring the data,” Rep. Mike Connolly of the 26th Middlesex district said, “and he is ignoring the law he signed, requiring greater transparency in data collection and publication.” Advocates emphasized the importance of trust and transparency in the design of public health policy. They point out that economic pressures, risk of evictions, and fear of authorities drive infection rates and lack of access to healthcare in communities most affected by COVID-19. 

“Particularly as we move into the fall and winter, it’s important to establish clear and explicit policies around COVID-19 control, to protect vulnerable groups, and to prevent outbreaks as much as possible,” said Dr. Caroline Buckee, Associate Professor of Public Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and signatory of the open letter. “Public health is built on trust between the public and the agencies set up to protect them, so everyone needs to be on the same page and to understand what the guidelines are.”

“Our city is the hardest hit in the state because we are frontline workers in eldercare and food processing. Our community members are underpaid and are frequent victims of wage theft, so many run out of money -even for food- very quickly. Illegal evictions throughout the summer just foreshadow the vast homelessness crisis that will strike if the foreclosure and eviction moratorium is allowed to expire,” said Dinanyili Paulino, CEO of the Chelsea Collaborative.

“In Chelsea alone, we know of 4,000 eviction notices that will become effective as soon as Gov. Baker and the legislature let the current moratorium expire,” said Gladys Vega, Executive Director of the Chelsea Collaborative. “We’ll have to bring these families with their air mattresses to the State House to sleep in the halls there. We have no place for them to go in Chelsea.”

Lady Lawrence Carty, from Housing=Health and the Roxbury Neighborhood Community Land Trust, said: “The connection between health and housing has never been more obvious.  Housing insecurity was a public health crisis before the pandemic, and the pandemic has only made it worse.  In this environment, eviction really equals death, and not just for those who are being evicted.”  Representative Mike Connolly added: “To allow the eviction moratorium to expire at this time would be absolutely devastating, particularly for communities of color in our state.

Colin Killick, Executive Director of the Disability Policy Consortium, said, “Housing is vital. We need the state to invest in housing. People with disabilities often can’t isolate, and 98% of the people killed in this pandemic in our state had an underlying condition. Not everyone is at equal risk here – we need to do more so people with the greatest risk can stay home.” 

“Governor Baker has unfortunately taken a cavalier approach to the role that public schools must play in preventing the spread of COVID-19,” said Merrie Najimy, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. “Educators are doing all they can to balance the learning needs of students and the health concerns of communities – and they want the state government to support this work, not undermine it.” Lady Lawrence Carty, added, “We in Nubian Square and Roxbury have opposed unsafe school reopening. We need full resources for the safety of students and teachers.”  

The authors of the open letter point out that one in seven nursing home residents in Massachusetts died from the COVID19 pandemic. Massachusetts, with the death of over 6,000 elderly, disabled residents, has one of the highest nursing-home death rates in the country. Long-term care residents have accounted for more than 60% of COVID-19 deaths. Despite a law signed by Governor Baker three months ago requiring greater disclosure regarding infections, key data regarding COVID-19 cases and deaths at many nursing homes and long-term care facilities continues to be withheld. The Department of Public Health issues daily reports in broad ranges (e.g., “1-10” or “>30”), and has refused to release the exact number of deaths at nursing homes with fewer than five deaths, the accumulated number of deaths at specific assisted living facilities, and has not released data regarding cases and deaths at elderly residential housing complexes. Such a lack of transparency in reporting accurate and specific data may hinder efforts to assess and mitigate risk. 

“Knowing the facts and addressing for infection control protocols, PPE, and improved worker support and protections, especially as many of the caregivers in nursing homes facilities are immigrants and members of racial minorities disproportionately at COVID risk, will be vitally important in preventing future outbreaks and a repeat of this tragedy.” said Ellen Leigh of the Greater Boston Chapter of United Spinal Association, and signatory of the open letter. “We also need more affordable and accessible housing options so that those who can live outside of long-term care are able to do so. People with spinal cord injuries/disorders or other illnesses may have recovered well enough to not require long-term care, but insufficient home and community-based services (HCBS) and a lack of accessible housing, often keeps them stuck in nursing homes and at higher risk for infection and death”  

In his final remarks, Rep. Mike Connolly added: “The things we are talking about here, other states are doing them, when it comes to driver’s licenses for all, to strong eviction moratorium laws and to progressive revenue generation.  We have to remember that over 9,000 people have died from COVID-19 in MA, and that is more than the number of deaths in the entire country of Canada.  We should not be patting ourselves in the back, we should recognize how many people we have failed.”

The authors of the letter emphasized a multi-pronged approach to controlling the spread of COVID including: 

• Enforceable workplace protections generated in collaboration with occupational safety and health officials, labor unions, and workers, along with resources allocation to enforce them
• Safe transportation for essential workers including increased funding for the MBTA
• Strengthened testing, contact tracing, and reporting systems, including increased access to rapid COVID-19 testing, improved contact tracing with occupational exposure reporting, and more user-friendly and actionable contact tracing reports
• Building trust to ensure all can comply with COVID-19 regulations, by not using police to fulfill public health roles and supporting legislation to increase trust in marginalized communities such as
  • An Act to Guarantee Housing Stability (H5166/S2992)
  • Safe Communities Act (H.3573/S.1401) 
  • Work and Family Mobility Act (H.3012/S.2061)
  • Emergency Paid Sick Leave 

Press conference speakers included: 

MC: Noel Sanders, Community Organizer, City Life/Vida Urbana, and Boston Community Healthy Initiative

• Representative Mike Connolly of Somerville and Cambridge

• Dr. Caroline Buckee, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

• Lady Lawrence Carty, Housing=Health, Roxbury Neighborhood Community Land Trust

• Natalicia Tracy, Executive Director, Brazilian Workers’ Center

• Merrie Najimy, President, Massachusetts Teachers Association

• Colin Killick, Executive Director, Disability Policy Consortium