Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker announces that effective Friday, hospitals can curtail some elective procedures that would be safely postponed to free up staffing and beds for coronavirus patients. He also announced new free COVID-19 testing locations in the state.
A week after federal officials shortened the timeline for how long people without coronavirus symptoms must stay in quarantine, Massachusetts did the same.
Starting Monday, people exposed to COVID-19 or who have tested positive -- and who are not showing symptoms -- must stay in quarantine from 14 to eight days, provided they test negative on Day 5 or later and monitor for any symptoms within 14 days of being exposed, Massachusetts Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders announced at a news conference.
There were no changes announced for people who do have symptoms of COVID-19.
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued their new symptom-free quarantine guidance last week, allowing people who have come in contact with someone infected with the virus to resume normal activity after 10 days if no symptoms are reported, or 7 days if they receive a negative test result
At the news conference Monday, Gov. Charlie Baker announced that Massachusetts hospitals will start limiting some elective inpatient surgeries and that the state would be increasing its coronavirus testing capacity.
