Baker Gets High Grades For Handling Coronavirus Pandemic: Survey

MASSACHUSETTS —More than half of respondents to a Patch survey gave Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker a grade of "A" or "B" for his overall handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey of Patch readers.

"He was transparent. Great communicator. Fought for our state," one respondent commented.

Readers were asked to assign Baker "A", "B," "C," "D" or "F" letter grades — with "A" being the highest score and "F" being the lowest — in various areas. Patch received 1,656 responses to the survey between Tuesday morning and Friday morning. The survey is not meant to be a scientific poll, but only to give a broad idea of public sentiment.

Some respondents said Baker should not have shut down small businesses at the start of the pandemic last March, while others said he should have kept the shutdowns in place longer to help slow the spread of the coronavirus in Massachusetts. While 18.5 percent of respondents said the business shutdown was "too severe," the majority, or 54.3 percent, said it was "about right."

Meanwhile, 45.7 percent of respondents said the length of the lockdown was "about right," while another 31.2 percent said it was "not long enough." Just 20.3 percent of respondents said t was too long.

"We probably should've fully locked down like other countries in March 2020, but I think Baker did an excellent job in a very difficult situation with no plan from the US government," one respondent said.

Respondents were tougher on Baker when they graded his handling of vaccine distribution in Massachusetts. Indeed, Baker appeared before the state legislature's Joint Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management Tuesday, where lawmakers grilled him on the vaccine rollout.

In the Patch survey, just 7.2 percent gave Baker an "A," and 23.4 percent gave him a "B." Another 26.9 percent of respondents gave him an "F."

"Everything should have been done differently. People still have issues getting appointments," one respondent said. "Why the vaccination wasn’t available to the senior population over 65 and why you had to mass vaccination centers as opposed to your doctor's office is just stupid in my opinion."

Baker also got mixed grades on how he reopened the state's public schools. The governor has pushed to have schools reopen for in-person learning by April, putting him in a standoff with teachers unions.

"I agree with his previous policies," one respondent wrote. "I disagree with fully opening schools now when we're close to "normal" but people still aren't vaccinated."