Wu Preps Boston City Employees For Remote Work Amid COVID Surge

BOSTON — On Monday, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu created a plan to temporarily decrease the number of employees in city buildings while denouncing how long lines have become at COVID-19 testing sites.

Starting Tuesday, Jan. 4, the city is temporarily decreasing its number of employees in city buildings.

In an email sent out to city employees, Wu said some employees would work from home until Tuesday, Jan. 18, while other employees may be asked to work from home based on a rotating schedule.

"With COVID-19 cases spiking in Boston and across the Commonwealth, we are taking these temporary measures to reduce the risk of transmission and protect our workforce and our communities," Wu said in a statement Saturday. "Our priority is to keep open the schools and city services that our residents count on every day. I thank all our city workers for their unwavering efforts to serve the public throughout the pandemic."

Wu's message said department heads would determine which employees can work remotely starting on Monday. At the same time, Wu addressed the lengthy positive COVID-19 testing lines in the city and across the state.

"There's no reason why, in the cold, people need to stand and wait for three hours. There are better ways to address this so we'll get going right away," Wu said Monday during the Boston City Council inauguration ceremony.

"It's absolutely unacceptable that in the city of Boston, our residents have been having to wait for two, three-plus hours to get a test to stay safe and keep their families and community safe," Wu added.

Meanwhile, protesters against COVID-19 coronavirus-related mask rules attempted to disrupt the swearing-in ceremony for Boston City Council at City Hall Square, WCVB reported.

COVID-19 testing lines have been absurdly long in Boston and around the Bay State since before the start of the holiday season, but as more residents return home from traveling, long testing lines stay put.

A major surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations has sent Boston spiraling in recent weeks. Last week, Dr. Bisola Ojikuto, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, said the COVID positivity rate in the city is now at 9.5%, the highest it has been since testing became widely available.

You should get a test if you have any COVID-19 symptoms or have had contact with anyone who has tested positive. The state also recommends you get tested if you've traveled out of Massachusetts or are planning to gather indoors with people you don't live with.

Wu was scheduled to hold the swearing-in ceremony at 10 a.m. after an earlier event to prepare for the return of students and faculty to school from winter break.

"Today we have the inauguration, but right after that I'll be getting together with our team to ensure that we're increasing the number of testing sites and the capacity at each site, but also speeding up the operations of each line," Wu said.

Nearly 20 school districts delayed their return from winter break due to health concerns and staffing shortages amid an unprecedented spike in COVID-19 fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant.

More coverage: Baker Touts Successful School Return Despite Some Delaying Class

Check here for a list of COVID-19 testing sites in Boston.

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