Local, state officials discuss range of questions raised by COVID crisis

Just moments before the governor today extended the non-essential business closure and stay-at-home advisory through May 4 due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, top-level state officials answered a range of pressing questions from local officials across the state during a conference call convened by the MMA.

• Administration Responses to Questions Raised During March 31 Municipal CEO Briefing

Fiscal and operational issues
A number of local leaders expressed concerns about the impact of COVID-related shutdowns on state and local revenue and budgets – and local aid – both for the remainder of fiscal 2020 and for fiscal 2021. Sean Cronin, senior deputy commissioner at the Division of Local Services, said the secretary of Administration and Finance is scheduled to meet (virtually) next Tuesday with the chairs of the House and Senate Ways and Means committees to discuss a possible downward adjustment to the fiscal 2021 state revenue projection that was used as a basis for the budget that Gov. Charlie Baker filed in January – a budget that anticipated a 2.8% increase in state tax collections.

“So there will be more to come after that meeting,” he said.

Municipal relief legislation: Cronin went over some highlights of two pending municipal relief bills filed by the governor. (Details here and here.) Among other provisions, the bills would:
• Allow town moderators to continue town meetings due to a public health emergency
• Allow towns to delay town meetings until after June 30
• Allow for a month-to-month budget process for towns that are unable to enact a local budget before fiscal 2021 begins on July 1
• Allow municipalities to appropriate free cash beyond June 30 and before free cash is certified for fiscal 2021 due to a delayed town meeting
• Allow amortization of fiscal 2020 COVID-related deficit spending over three years (local option)
• Allow communities, at local option, to extend the due date for fourth quarter property tax bills to as late as June 1
• Allow communities, at local option, to waive interest and penalties on certain bills
• Suspend the cap on hours worked by retirees
• Modify the local permitting process

Non-essential business closure
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito referenced the forthcoming extension of the non-essential business emergency order, and said the administration has updated the “COVID-19 Essential Services” categories for businesses and other organizations that provide essential services and workforces related to COVID-19 that are permitted to operate brick-and-mortar facilities during the emergency.

Construction: She said the administration would release more guidance for municipalities this afternoon and tomorrow – particularly in the area of construction – to help them enforce safety protocols and ensure that the health of workers is being protected. [Since provided here.]

Enforcement: Polito said local boards of health “are empowered to look at the guidance from the state and do what you need to do to make sure your community is safe.” She acknowledged that the state may need to provide additional guidance and support.

Emergency response
Local officials raised concerns about having adequate coverage of first responders and other essential personnel when many of them are being exposed to the coronavirus in their work. Dr. Larry Madoff, medical director at the Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences at the Department of Public Health, said the DPH has issued specific guidance for health care workers, which would include “emergency medical personnel,” allowing them to return to work if they have been exposed but are asymptomatic, and requiring them to monitor themselves for symptoms and wear a protective mask for 14 days following the most recent exposure. He said he would need to look into the appropriate protocol for “other types of first responders and essential personnel.”

Disclosure of positive cases: Dr. Madoff was also asked about what information is being shared about COVID-positive cases, and what information local governments can share with the public. He said DPH policy is that the addresses of those who have tested positive for COVID-19 are released through public safety agencies in each municipality, and that this information should include cases in local long-term care and skilled nursing facilities. He said DPH releases data about positive cases at the county level. He noted that some communities are releasing data about the number of cases locally, and some include the number of people in quarantine.

“Each jurisdiction can make that call according to their needs,” he said.

Testing and health care update
Polito reported that the state has rapidly ramped up its COVID testing capacity in the past week, with 21 lab sites now available to process tests. (Nearly 47,000 tests have now been processed, according to the Department of Public Health.)

Dr. Madoff said he expects the availability of COVID testing to continue to increase. Individual health care providers make the decisions about who should be tested, he said. It is not recommended – and could be problematic – to test those who are not symptomatic.

“We still think that the major drivers of this outbreak are people who are sick [and experiencing symptoms],” he said.

He said the DPH is only tracking data about COVID-positive cases that come from certified testing labs.

Tracing: In the coming days, Polito said, the administration will announce an “extensive” tracing program, to identify individuals who may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus from someone who has tested positive. She said tests of emergency first responders are being prioritized.

Health care workers: In order to address potential staff shortages in health care, Polito said the administration has arranged to add more than 1,800 people to the front lines in the past week by returning retirees in good standing and by working with the state’s medical schools to get 90-day licenses for medical school graduates so they can help.

PPE: On the urgent need for personal protective equipment for medical personnel and first responders, the state has created an online portal where companies and individuals can donate or contract to supply PPE, Polito said.

The administration has made requests from the Strategic National Stockpile, and over the weekend was approved for 1,000 ventilators, 28,000 masks and 120,000 pairs of gloves, she said.

COVID hotline: Madoff encouraged local officials and health care providers with questions about COVID-19 to call the DPH’s Division of Epidemiology and Immunization at 617-983-6800, where epidemiologists are available at all hours.

Disaster declaration
Samantha Phillips, director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, explained that local governments may be eligible for reimbursement of up to 75% of eligible emergency-related expenses under a presidential major disaster declaration made on Saturday. (Details available on the MEMA website.) She said the process for tracking costs and requesting aid may be familiar to many local leaders, as it’s similar to the process used after major storms.

The main eligible categories include costs related to:
• Management, control and reduction of immediate threats to public health and safety
• Emergency medical care
• Medical sheltering
• Purchase and distribution of food, water, ice, medicine, and other supplies, including personal protective equipment and hazardous material suits
• Movement of supplies and persons
• Communication of health and safety information to the public
• Security and law enforcement

Eligible costs may include the procurement of technical assistance and services in eligible categories.

Phillips said the federal government has approved MEMA and Massachusetts municipalities to do “non-congregate” sheltering. So it would be an eligible expense, for example, if a city or town needs to house first responders in a hotel in order to quarantine them (so as not to expose their families).

Technical assistance: MEMA offers technical assistance to communities on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s reimbursement process. She said FEMA has indicated that it will be expediting emergency aid payments to applicants.

Housing needs: MEMA is also signing contracts with hotels and bringing in private security to boost the state’s capacity to house those who need to be isolated to control the spread of COVID-19. The agency has also surveyed homeless shelters to assess the needs to increase capacity in order to maintain adequate social distancing.

Business loans: Massachusetts has also been approved for an economic injury disaster loan from the Small Business Administration. This will allow for low-interest loans to businesses, including agriculture.

Other issues
Details were emailed today to local officials about a free, 90-day membership state officials have arranged with the Boston-based LogMeIn for online collaboration tools. No billing information will be collected by LogMeIn, known for products such as GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar.

Today’s discussion was the third in a series of conference calls the MMA is convening with key state officials every Tuesday afternoon during the COVID emergency.

• Audio of March 31 call with Administration (36M MP3)