COVID Cases, Chaos Surge As MA Goes Back To School, Work

SALEM, MA — The omicron-fueled surge that has pushed record-breaking case counts in Massachusetts and the rest of the country showed no signs of abating Monday as Bay State residents returned to work and school for the first weekday of the new year.

As of noon Monday, 120 flights to and from Logan International Airport in Boston had been canceled in the previous 24 hours. Dozens of school districts delayed opening or canceled classes altogether on Monday to allow for Covid testing of teacher and staff while others were short-staffed as teachers — including 150 in Boston — called in sick. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said some city employees would work remotely for the next two weeks in an effort to slow the surge.

But, speaking at the Saltonstall School in Salem early Monday morning, Gov. Charlie Baker signaled there were no plans for the state to order schools to move to remote or hybrid learning.

"The rules here are pretty simple: We count in-person school as school," Baker said. Schools "need to provide their kids with 180 days of in-person education this year. And we'll do whatever we can to help them deliver on that."

Latest on the Covid surge in Massachusetts:

• The UMass Memorial testing site was among the testing sites in Massachusetts that said it would expand hours and days of operation because of the current surge.
• Beverly's health board will try again to discuss and vote on a mask mandate after last week's virtual meeting was overrun by more than 300 participants and had to be halted.
• Flight cancellations continued across the U.S. and in Boston as airlines scrambled to staff flights.

Late last week, the Baker administration rejected a call from the Massachusetts Teachers Association to cancel school across the state Monday after a delay in shipping 200,000 rapid Covid tests that were distributed to teachers and staff member before schools reopened after the winter break. Somerville and several other districts delayed school opening by two hours Monday to allow time for testing. Monday and Tuesday were early-release days in Arlington, where officials are urging students not to gather with their friends after school. Some districts, like Burlington, were closed on Monday.

"The most important thing we want to stress to our students and our families is the need for our students to be in person," Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, who spoke with Baker at Monday's press conference, said. "Someone described virtual school as like playing basketball underwater, and I think that really sums it up."

Without state intervention, school districts have had to adapt policies and notify parents about changes at schools. Hopkinton High School, the first Massachusetts public school to lift the mandate in October, reinstated the policy just before break. Andover and other school districts sent notes to parents Sunday warning of bus delays because of driver shortages. Other school districts have issued notices saying they will follow new CDC guidance reducing isolation protocols.

Also on Patch: Pfizer Boosters For Kids 12-15: What MA Parents Need To Know

Last month, Baker issued a mask advisory, but did not call for a statewide mandate. Several local governments are now moving to implement local mask mandates, which require a face covering in any public space, including businesses. Beverly's health board will try again to discuss and vote on a mask mandate Wednesday after last week's virtual meeting was overrun by more than 300 participants and had to be halted.

State officials are bracing for more grim numbers when the Department of Public Health releases daily Covid data later on Monday afternoon. On Friday, the state broke a record with 21,397 new cases. There were also an additional 148 reported coronavirus deaths and 1,954 hospitalizations in Friday's report.