The U.S. now leads the world in confirmed cases of COVID-19 with more than 82,000 confirmed cases and nearly 1,200 confirmed deaths.
Governor Baker is seeking federal disaster aid for Massachusetts to fight the deepening economic and human toll, where unemployment has hit 4.2 percent.
In a rare divide, Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh disagree on whether construction should be classified as an essential service. Many are unhappy with the Governor declaring construction essential – and many communities, led by Walsh, are ignoring this classification.
With schools out of session for another month, how are students with disabilities receiving the services they need?
The U.S. Senate approved a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus package that is expected to be voted on this morning by the House of Representatives and sent immediately to the President for his signature. Estimate your potential benefit below.
- Governor Charlie Baker said the state is seeking federal disaster aid for the fight against the pandemic as the number of confirmed cases in Massachusetts jumped by 500 to 2,417. The virus poses the greatest risk to the elderly and it has made its way into six senior living facilities across the state. Revere’s Jack Satter House has the largest known outbreak with five residents hospitalized, one recovering, and one sadly has passed away.
- A total of 147,995 people have filed for unemployment in the last week, about 4.2 percent of the Massachusetts economy. A 20 percent increase from the week before and a sharp increase from unemployment total of 2.8 percent in January. The food and hospitality industry suffering the most with an estimated 44,353 claims filed last week alone.
- In a rare deviation from agreement, Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh are at odds over whether construction work should continue amid the COVID-19 crisis. While Walsh halted all construction in Boston and Gov. Baker classified construction as an essential service, places like Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are following Mayor Walsh’s lead. Baker’s hometown of Swampscott has issued a stay at home order to residents, a more concrete decree than Baker has on the state.
- While school administrators and educators are working to provide distance learning for most students, parents of children with disabilities say local school districts are not required to provide special education resources when schools are closed.
- The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on and pass the $2.2 trillion economic stimulus package today. Passed unanimously by the Senate on Wednesday, this bill aims to provide economic relief to most American’s. To calculate your potential benefit, please click here.
- Meanwhile, small businesses everywhere are looking for someone to explain to them in plain English what this $2.2 trillion bill will provide to them. Stay tuned to this space or reach out if you’d like help making sense of how this impacts your organization and industry.
- State and local governments are calling on technology experts to help aide in the fight against the coronavirus. New York state has launched a “Technology SWAT” team and invited technology companies, universities, nonprofits, and other organizations with technology expertise to join in the volunteer effort.