What Does a ‘State Of Emergency’ Mean To Us?
Sh*t’s gettin’ real. Governor Charlie Baker has declared at State Of Emergency in Massachusetts due to the expanding Coronavirus situation. It sounds kind of scary, right? Well, don’t panic. But do be smart and prepared.
What does it all mean? It’s all spelled out here. But here are some main points:
- Declaring a State Of Emergency gives the Governor power to take action in a natural or man-made disaster.
“Under a state of Emergency, the Governor is authorized to issue executive orders to meet the needs of a threat, emergency, or disaster. These Orders are to be treated as law and may override existing law for the course of the disaster.”
- Travel bans, closures, and/or other orders may be enacted as necessary.
- What the heck do we do???!!! Nothing we need to do…yet. The Governor did not issue any specific actions. But he did day this:
“I urge employers and other large organizations to follow our example and limit or eliminate non-essential travel, limit or eliminate large events where possible, and explore telework where appropriate for your organization. We are also urging older adults and those with health issues to avoid large crowds and large events,”
He activated the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and recommendations for long-term care facilities are expected Wednesday.
And kids rejoice: No school will be required to remain in session past the end of June, no matter how many days they have been in session. Chronic absences past March 2 will be disregarded. But that doesn’t mean take the kids out of school and go on a cruise. (Not a good idea anyway.)
Get updates from the Mass Dept of Health here.