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A Cautious Restart

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House Speaker Robert DeLeo has laid out a to-do list for the state Legislature including bills related to transportation revenue, a review of the state’s budget, and a plan to boost the struggling restaurant sector, among other topics.

But, working out a new budget plan is going to be tricky. According to a report in the Boston Globe:

“Last week, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation estimated that state tax revenues will fall by $6 billion, or nearly 20 percent, in the next fiscal year, from the revenue outlook that state leaders established in January. DeLeo conceded that the Legislature will likely tap into the state’s $3.5 billion rainy day fund, but he doesn’t want to draw down too much and put the state’s credit ratings at risk.”

New additions to the budget are expected to include a $2 million fund for restaurant recovery. 

Lawmakers have also been targeting an upgrade to telemedicine legislation to ensure “extensive insurance coverage for ‘virtual’ doctor visits, similar to what’s available for in-person visits” as a result of telemedicine becoming an integral part of the post-COVID-19 world. 

Read more on these stories here: DeLeo plans to prioritize transportation, budget, small business

Boston Roads Making Room for Walkways, Bike Lanes & Buses

Boston transportation officials are discussing the possibility of converting some of the real estate on the state’s roadways into bike and bus lanes and walkways.

The city is considering four approaches to extend sidewalks into streets, according to Jacob Wessel, Boston’s public realm director.

These measures are an attempt to facilitate ongoing social distancing.

Read all about it here: Boston eyes turning roads into walkways, bus and bike lanes during coronavirus crisis

Boston Researchers Onto Potential Coronavirus Vaccine

Researchers at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are working on two promising coronavirus vaccine candidates which have both provided immunity to laboratory monkeys. 

A working vaccine is widely seen as necessary for life to return to something resembling what it was before the COVID-19 pandemic

According to the report by NBC Boston:

“In one study, researchers infected 35 adult rhesus macaque monkeys with the new coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV-2. Twenty-five of them had been given potential vaccines, according to a news release from the hospital, and that group showed much lower levels of the virus than the 10 monkeys that weren't vaccinated. In fact, the virus couldn't be detected at all in eight of the vaccinated monkeys.”

The monkeys in the study showed evidence of having developed "natural protective immunity" against COVID-19 when infected a second time.

Oregon Health & Science University vaccine researcher Dr. Louis Picker told The Boston Globe that the two studies “convinced me that this is an infection that will be controllable with vaccination.”

The complete news report can be found here: Boston Researchers Find That Vaccines Protect Against Coronavirus, at Least in Monkeys

Some Businesses Scheduled for Reopening

Gov. Charlie Baker has provided some details of his four-phase plan to reopen Massachusetts. The governor’s office released a report breaking down schedules and rules for reopening. 

“Phase 1” includes construction and places of worship. Later phases will include bars, movie theaters, and casinos. 

According to the report rules will include mandatory workplace safety standards. Currently open businesses providing essential services have until May 25 to comply with the new standards.

No dates have been assigned for the launch of phases 2, 3, or 4. There will be “at least three weeks” between phases. Nonessential offices in Boston will remain closed until a week after the rest of the businesses in the state.

Here is the list of when businesses are allowed to reopen in Massachusetts.

Boston’s Governor Marty Walsh has made it clear that he is not comfortable with the plan’s 25 percent capacity limit. 

According to a report at Boston.com, Walsh said he is “personally not comfortable with the 25 percent number, to be quite honest with you. And we’re looking at it now,” adding, “25 percent, the first day, is too much.” 

Walsh also expressed concern that the number of residents returning to work could overtax the city’s emergency child care centers.

Gov. Walsh says that the pandemic could last 8 months to a year. 

Recreational Cannabis Restarting with Curbside Pickup

After being closed for two months, Mass. Recreational marijuana shops will be permitted to reopen Monday, May 25. However customers will not be allowed inside. 

Under the rules, all shops that opt to reopen must offer curbside pickup. for curbside pickup. For how long, we don’t know.

According to a report in the Boston Globe, “busy streets and limited parking options have forced company owners to find unique solutions to curbside pickup, creating at-the-door and order-ahead procedures to make the reopening process run smoothly.”

Read the report here: Here’s what curbside recreational marijuana sales will look like at Boston-area pot shops

More of the Latest Massachusetts News