Author: Press Release

As we prepare for Monday’s release of additional reopening guidance, it is important to remember the general concerns we as a state must address as we move thoughtfully toward a long-term “new normal.”

While our statewide numbers continue to slowly improve and we work to make plans to increase our future testing capacity in anticipation of staged reopening, we have to be mindful of the very real and constantly-changing threats that this virus presents.

As you may have noticed, recent news surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic can seem to be all over the place, particularly as different parts of our country or even our Commonwealth face different stages of the pandemic.

As we start to think in more concrete terms about what a phased reopening and, ultimately, a “new normal,” will look like, one thing that is clear is in the absence of a COVID-19 vaccine, a central component of our long-term solutions to this pandemic will be testing.

We continue to see a gradual, but noticeable improvement in the public health metrics we use to track the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a welcome reflection of the sacrifices that you all have made to keep each of us and our communities safe from this dangerous virus.

TODAY is Mother’s Day. I’d like to wish all mothers a very happy, safe and healthy day. As mothers, our children and family are central to this day, and I wish you all many happy phone calls and zoom chats to celebrate with loved ones.