Updated April 22
Gov. Charlie Baker closed all public and private schools in Massachusetts for the remainder of the school year.
“It’s the right thing to do based on the facts on the ground,” Baker said in making the announcement. He acknowledged how difficult this will be to high school seniors who will miss out on graduations. “To all the seniors, we would just say you should keep your heads up,” he said. “There always are brighter days ahead.”
Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, Baker said remote learning will continue and stressed this wasn’t the start to summer vacation. Baker had previously closed schools through May 4.
When asked about reopening the state, Baker said that would happen when the state is ready to do so.
“The rituals we’ve lost will come back. They’ll come back, in many cases, different than they were before, but they will come back and it’s important for people to realize there will be an endgame here,” Baker said. “This is a very difficult virus, we need to respect it, it’s very contagious and when we’re ready to come back we’ll start to do that…Don’t let the virus win the game, play it all the way to the end.”
This comes as the level of COVID-19 cases at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital remained steady at 15 confirmed cases.
In a letter to families, superintendent Matt D’Andrea said the remote learning plan implemented previously by Island schools will continue through the end of the academic year. The Department of Education will be releasing additional guidelines for remote learning by the end of the week.
In addition to continuing online education, the schools will continue to provide food for students and families until the conclusion of the academic year.
According to the letter, all Island schools are currently evaluating possibilities for graduation, and details of a plan going forward will be shared once a decision has been made.
This comes as the level of COVID-19 cases at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital remained steady at 15 confirmed cases.
On Monday, state numbers were delayed as the DPH rolled out a new way of reporting. There were 1,566 new cases reported bringing the total confirmed cases up to nearly 40,000 statewide. There were 103 new deaths for a total of 1,809. According to the state data, 10 percent of the confirmed cases are hospitalized.
Baker also said the Commonwealth is “still in the surge.”
Meanwhile, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital is facing an “unusual” number of out-of-state maternity patient requests, according to hospital CEO Denise Schepici, and the hospital is no longer accepting transfer of maternity care.
“Out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety of our babies already in our delivery queue, our services cannot accept any transfer of care requests at this time,” Schepici said. “We’re asking women who are pregnant to remain with their current obstetrical care and to avoid travel to the Island.”
In a teleconference call with reporters Tuesday, Schepici said normally this is something the hospital welcomes, but nine new requests has been a high number.
“We are seeing an unusual number of women who are seeking refuge here on the Island seeking new appointments and new care and we just don’t have the staff to do that,” Schepici said.
No patients have been turned away, but Schepcici said the hospital is counseling them on when they are expecting their child and to get them back to where they were. Currently the hospital has four beds in its maternity ward. There are 200 births a year at the hospital.
The hospital does not have a neonatal intensive care unit. Any high risk mothers are sent to Boston.
Hospital officials also expressed worry about the coming surge in cases.
“We’re watching it closely daily,” Seguin said. “We are worried.”
“I’m very worried,” Schepici added. “I’m very happy the construction community decided to defer a week, but we’re seeing huge numbers in Boston and if we start to have more people coming to the Island I’m very worried we’re going to see a precipitous surge.”
As of Tuesday, the hospital has tested 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Overall, the hospital has collected samples for 271 tests for the coronavirus with 256 negative and zero tests pending results.
The hospital also has zero hospitalizations for patients who have tested positive for COVID-19. The hospital has confirmed that two COVID-19 positive patients had been transferred to Boston via Boston Medflight and one maternity patient who tested positive for COVID-19 was transferred to Boston via land. A hospital employee is also one of the 15 confirmed cases.
According to the Martha’s Vineyard boards of health, of those 15 confirmed cases, nine are female and six are male. Seven of the cases are aged 50-59 years old, three cases are 60-69 years old, two are 30-39 years old, two are 20-29 years old, and one is 20 years old or younger.
The hospital’s criteria for testing comes from its parent company Partners Healthcare whose guidelines are closely in line with the Centers for Disease Control. While testing supplies are finite not only on the Island, but across the country, Schepici said testing everyone is not useful.
“Today they could be negative and tomorrow they could be positive. We know there’s a lot of asymptomatic positives out there,” she said. “This is why the social distancing and the quarantining is so important.”
Schepici stressed the importance of social distancing, staying home, washing hands, and limiting travel.
“As I’ve said before, it only takes one,” she said referring to her op-ed.
Updated to add additional quotes from Denise Schepici. — Ed.
So what does this mean for students? Do they re-start their current grade over again in the fall? Or what?
Remote learning is continuing through the end of the year. Students will be promoted. Seniors will graduate.
Open the Damn Island! We need to live.
There are not enough cases or deaths on this island to just destroy everyone’s livelihoods. Font tell me we can’t practice socials distance and wash our hands when you trust people to go home and self quarantine.
You obviously don’t understand the depth of the situation and what needs to ben done is being done.This virus is growing at an astronomical rate and protocols need to be followed.
crayson, how many cases or deaths do there have to be?
From a different article:
“…Dukes County has experienced a 94% decrease in human encounters…”
This is why our numbers are low. Businesses do need to slowly open up soon, but we can’t forget that the current infection rate is due to a lot of effort and isolation. We didn’t let nature take its course.
How many deaths will you accept to Open the Damn Island Now?
How about just a grandmother or two?
*don’t tell me
it’s obvious you won’t listen anyway
The least surprising development since this started.Good call Governor!
This is a sad but necessary step. It is going to be especially hard on special needs and at risk kids.
I think we all saw this coming miles away- this just makes it official.
A good call by governor Baker, but not too surprising. He may be a republican, but he puts the safety of the people of the commonwealth first.
Let me take a little side step here to address the conservatives here ( where’s Andrew?) about trump’s tweet about closing all immigration. I will limit my comment to the actual statistics about Mexico and the U.S . April 21 after the 4 pm update
lets just take a look at how Mexico — you know, that country with a failing economy and all the drug smugglers and rapist — you know that S%$ hole country to the south of us — How is it faring as compared to the greatest country on earth, with the greatest health care system and the greatest leader the world has ever seen ?
U.S. 815,000 cases, 45,000 deaths.
Mexico 9,000 cases , 712 deaths
Oh, I know– Mexico doesn’t have as many people
U.S 136 deaths per million
Mexico 6 deaths per million
Finally, trump is doing something to protect Mexico.
If you ever need a reason to vote, there it is.
Baker is one of the best governors this state has every had.
He had big shoes to fill.
He has done an admirable job of it.
Big shoes to fill? That’s sarcasm, right?
Not in in the least.
Deval is a bright, articulate, and well educated, and was a very popular Governor of MA.
His dad did not even donate $6 million to his university the year before he ‘earned’ his bachelor’s degree.
Deval did not stop at as bachelor’s degree, he went on an earned an advanced degree at the same graduate school attended by 6 of the Supreme Court Judges.
Deval won his first election at 55.6%, numbers Trump can only dream about.
I have spoken at length, in private, with Charlie about Deval.
Charlie has a great deal of respect for Deval even though Deval beat Charlie by 6.4% in Charlie’s first go at governor.
is there something specific about Deval that puts you off?
Right you are, Don – Trump cares about people of all nationalities, but about us a little more – Do vote for him. And BTW, don’t put a lot of stock in those numbers reported from Mexico.
Do persons believing the Mexico numbers, also believe the Chinese numbers?!! ????
:-^
hanley- can you honestly take an objective look at the way the trump regime has handled imigration, and particularly the handling of assylum seekers at the southern border and honestly tell me trump cares on bit about any of them ? Honestly ?
And why would we not trust the numbers coming out of Mexico.
Do they have a pathological liar for a president or something ? Have they been less than transparent about anything ? What can possible base that comment on ?
* what can you possibly
dondondon12 – I will only make this comment, you will never convince a Trump lover that Trump does anything wrong.
I know something Trump did wrong.
The Mexican government controls only a fraction of it’s territory, and has trouble even counting license plates.
When were you last in Mexico?
I wonder if any of the women trying to transfer care to the island were those scheduled to delivery at Falmouth Hospital which recently transferred all labor & deliveries to Hyannis?
Why would a pregnant woman want to wait in WH and then ride a 45 minute ferry, wait to disembark and then drive the MVH? It would be easier to drive to Hyannis.
Also, good luck to anyone who wants to get their doctor of choice here on MV. My doctor’s office has seen so much turnover (doctors leaving) in the past 5 years. I now have my 5th doctor in 5 years and I didn’t get to pick who I wanted because it seems like when you call, no doctors are taking new patients. So, with that being said, if someone who lives here for decades can’t get a doctor of choice why should someone from off island be able to do so? If you were to deliver in Falmouth and now have to go to Hyannis, so be it.
Unless their ulterior motive is just to come here to our “alleged” safe haven.
Suggested sign to be posted on boarding ramp in Woods Hole – “Upon arrival in Vineyard Haven your motive (and papers) will be examined.”
Suggested sign to be posted on boat exit ramp in Woods Hole – “Upon arrival in Woods Hole your motive (and papers) will be examined.
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