MA Coronavirus: State Could Be Facing A Depression, Lawmakers Say

State health officials on Tuesday reported another 1,296 cases and 113 deaths from the new coronavirus. There are now 28,163 cases and 957 deaths since the outbreak started. There have been 126,551 people tested for the virus.

Here's the latest news on the coronavirus in Massachusetts:

• Massachusetts lawmakers and officials expect the state economy to go into a "deep recession" and could slip into a depression if the coronavirus shutdown of nonessential businesses extends past May. State officials are expecting huge revenue shortfalls in April and possibly longer at a time when the state is facing record-breaking unemployment claims and other expenses related to the new coronavirus emergency. Estimates vary, but most have losses in the billions.
• The coronavirus took one of Boston's finest. Mayor Marty Walsh said Jose Fontanez, 53, died after getting COVID-19. The father of four joined the force in 1991 and had served in Jamaica Plain since 1996. "We lost a hero today to this virus," Walsh said.
• U.S. Sen. Ed Markey introduced legislation protecting Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and one of the figureheads of the federal government's coronavirus response, and other research leaders from being fired for political reasons.
• Two more field hospitals are coming to the campuses of UMass-Lowell and UMass-Dartmouth, Gov. Charlie Baker said. Those will add to field hospitals at the DCU Center in Worcester, the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and Joint Base Cape Cod.
• Attorney General Maura Healey called on the state's Division of Insurance to reduce personal auto insurance premiums during the pandemic. Healey said that because travel and the number of crashes have fallen substantially across the state, insurance premiums should also go down until the reduction in driving ends. "Without a reduction, Massachusetts drivers will be overpaying for auto insurance at a time when many are already in difficult economic circumstances due to the national emergency," she said in a letter to DOI Commissioner Gary Anderson.
• The MBTA said 73 employees, including 49 bus, train and trolley drivers have tested positive for COVID-19. There has been one fatality in the MBTA related to the virus.
• The co-owners of Worcester-based Polar Beverages are stepping into the fight against coronavirus with a do-it-yourself solution for personal protective equipment.
• Bobby O'Donnell suffered mental scars during the 2013 Marathon bombings, which occurred seven years ago Wednesday. Now he's helping on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic.
• Patriots owner Robert Kraft will be part of a team looking at when we can reopen the economy amid the crisis. President Trump has put Kraft on an advisory panel with more than 50 executives and elected officials.