Easing of COVID rules is a welcome relief, but pandemic isnât over
Updated May 19, 2021, 2:30 a.m.
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A masked security guard looked out from his post inside the Bank of America on Boylston Street on May 17 as those without masks were reflected in the window.Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
The reporting of the dropping of nearly all COVID-19 restrictions by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as of May 29 is a welcome relief (âAn early end to COVID rules,â Page A1, May 18). We see many hopeful signs of a light at the end of the tunnel. However, casualties and deaths from the pandemic remind us that only through continued vigorous testing and vaccination will we actually put an end to this pandemic. Through the summer months, many of our unvaccinated young people will still be vulnerable to residual COVID-19 infections. The hope is that Governor Baker and state officials will continue to prosecute this war that is still ongoing.
Inequities in stateâs vaccine rollout are unacceptable
Updated May 17, 2021, 7:15 a.m.
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City of Chelsea Public Health Nurse Paula McHatton, left, and Dr. Toby Ritterhoff fill syringes with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine while preparing to vaccinate at least 200 essential workers at the Chelsea Senior Center on April 6.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
I read Emma Platoffâs article in the Globe Wednesday morning in which I was quoted (âSuccess of rollout quiets Bakerâs critics,â Page A1, May 12). My comment about our stateâs being âin a decent placeâ was in reference to the total number of residents who have been vaccinated. Iâm disappointed that readers could be left with the implication that Iâm satisfied with the fact that only 37 percent of Black residents and 33 percent of Hispanic residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine. I am most certainly not. I do not think thatâs âdecent.â
Return to schools in Mass. is a process of push and pull
Updated March 10, 2021, 2:30 a.m.
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Instead of forcing change, board should take its cues from parents, students, and teachers
Re âSchools can be forced to reopen: Vote gives commissioner power to change rules, require in-person classesâ (Page A1, March 6): It was interesting to analyze the recent vote of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Every Governor Baker-appointed board member voted to force districts to bring students back to classrooms full time. The three board members who are elected or selected by parents, students, or labor (including teachers) voted to keep these decisions at the local level.
Why is it OK to have human beings attached to a website for hours at a time in pursuit of the slimmest chance getting a slot? Think of what else we all could have been doing with that time.