WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The Mount Greylock Regional School Committee continues to hear from parents concerned about the lack of in-person instruction for most children in the PreK-12 district even as the panel works to modify the agreement with its unions to allow just that. The committee held an executive session after last Thursday s meeting to discuss strategies with respect to collective bargaining with its union personnel. And Superintendent Jason McCandless said on Friday that he has asked the committee to look at some dates for a special meeting to consider a revised memorandum of understanding with the Mount Greylock Educational Association.
A new report by an industry research firm has placed the Worcester area among the worst nationally for intensive care hospital beds per capita, at a time when as many beds as possible are needed for the coronavirus pandemic.
The Worcester metropolitan area ranks ninth worst among relatively larger regions, according to the New York firm AdvisorSmith. The firm lists the Worcester area as having 125 intensive care beds, or 13.2 per 100,000 people, using U.S. Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services data.
Central Massachusetts, which is a larger geographic area than what was measured by AdvisorSmith, had 177 intensive care beds occupied as of Sunday, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Another 47 ICU beds were available.
Based on current trends in administering its first vaccinations for Covid-19, Massachusetts would complete giving first doses to all Massachusetts residents in June of 2023. Since Dec. 15, first doses of the vaccine have found the arms of 206,190 in Massachusetts, or 7,110 people per day, according to Massachusetts Department of Public Health data (to Jan. 12). Removing the
Amid COVID-19, city borders complicate some responses
By Alex LaSalvia Boston University journalist,Updated January 20, 2021, 4:58 p.m.
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Newton City HallJim Davis/Globe Staff
Looking at Newton from above youâd be hard-pressed to find where the city ends and another municipality begins. The centuries-old border cuts through roads, developments, and houses and has consequences for the containment of a virus that doesnât care about municipal boundaries.
Without the state creating regional guidance, Newton and its neighboring cities and towns have been left to interpret coronavirus regulations on their own, said Newton City Councilor Alicia Bowman. This has led to inconsistencies between communities with school reopenings, outdoor seating at restaurants, and other concerns amid the pandemic.