Governor Activates National Guard To Help With Coronavirus Crisis

MASSACHUSETTS — Gov. Charlie Baker called on the National Guard to help during the coronavirus emergency, the same day new coronavirus cases in Massachusetts saw their largest single-day jump, soaring past 300 positive tests overall.

“Activating the National Guard will help support our Administration’s efforts to keep residents safe and secure during the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Baker. “The expertise of the Massachusetts National Guard will benefit our communities with logistical support and other assistance as we continue to respond to this crisis.”

A spokesperson for the Massachusetts National Guard said the guard activation means they could send up to 2,000 National Guard members to assist with the state of emergency.

"Effective today," Don Veitch of the National Guard told Patch Thursday.

The current mission is logistical, he said. Members will focus on helping with support, supply, and equipment requests. That mission is likely to change throughout the activation, he said.

The state's Public Department of Health on Thursday announced 328 cases of COVID-19, an increase of 72 from Wednesday's numbers. Forty-three of those cases so far have required hospitalization.

Every county in the commonwealth now has a positive case of COVID-19. Middlesex County has the most cases with 119, while Suffolk jumped to 72 cases and Norfolk County 52 cases.
The increase in cases come as testing becomes more available. Officials have long expected a drastic increase in cases as more tests become available and testing expands.

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Massachusetts follows nearly two dozen other states, including New Hampshire and Rhode Island, in calling on the National Guard to help deal with the growing pandemic. All 50 states have issued emergency declarations, one of the first steps before mobilizing National Guard resources. Baker declared a state of emergency on March 10.

According to the National Guard, some 2,050 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen in 27 states have been activated to support COVID-19 response efforts.

The last time the guard was activated in the commonwealth was last July, for Cape Cod recovery work. The governor has statutory authority to activate the Massachusetts National Guard under state active duty to provide necessary assistance to state and municipal civilian authorities.

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Mike Carraggi and Chris Huffaker contributed to this report