Posts by Press Release

Food insecurity and stress to the Commonwealth’s food system have been serious concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like so many other sectors impacted by the pandemic, farmers, suppliers, retailers, and consumers have had to find creative solutions to meet the challenges of the pandemic.

Today, the Governor announced a number of significant changes to protect the progress we have made in slowing the spread of COVID-19. In particular, the administration has identified instances in which large social gatherings have led to “hot spots” of transmission, and the updates below are designed to address these challenges and other priority issues that have been raised as numbers tick upward in recent weeks.

This week, the Secretary of the Commonwealth announced that ballots have begun being mailed out to those who have requested them for the September 1st statewide primary elections.

As you know, quickly identifying and responding to possible exposure or infection of COVID-19 is a central component of our pandemic response, and we are always looking for new and creative ways to add tools to our belt that will enable us to expand testing capacity and reduce turnaround time.

I hope you are staying safe this evening as the state emergency management agency has issued tropical storm warnings for all counties.

As we move into August, many of our colleges and universities will prepare to welcome back some or all students on a limited basis. These returns have been planned to keep students and staff as safe as possible, while recognizing the importance of ensuring access to high-quality public and private higher education.

Tomorrow (Saturday, August 1st), the statewide travel order goes into effect in Massachusetts. This travel order seeks to prevent interstate spread of COVID-19 by requiring common-sense safety measures of those traveling to the Commonwealth from states that are not considered low-risk by DPH-approved data.