MA Should Roll Back Reopening Plan, White House Task Force Says

MASSACHUSETTS — The White House Coronavirus Task Force thinks Massachusetts should have a uniform response to the coronavirus pandemic and roll back its reopening plan statewide, according to a report.

The task force, led by Vice President Mike Pence and Drs. Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci, recently told Gov. Charlie Baker the state should reconsider having certain restrictions only in high-risk areas, according to a briefing document obtained by ABC News.

"Consider rolling back a step in the state reopening plan as a whole and not just in high-risk areas," the task force wrote in the Nov. 29 document.

The task force said having some restrictions in one area and not in another could lead to people in high-risk areas traveling to and potentially spreading the virus in surrounding communities.

Gov. Charlie Baker said on Tuesday the state is not planning on rolling back the reopening plan or placing any more restrictions on the public or businesses. On Wednesday, the state reported a record-high number of coronavirus cases.

Massachusetts' current plan has most communities in the third phase of reopening, but some communities that have been high-risk for at least three weeks in a row are in the first part of that phase rather than the second. That means some indoor businesses, like arcades and other activities, must be closed in some communities but not others. It also impacts the gathering limits at indoor and outdoor performance venues.

Baker has said the state won't move to phase four until a vaccine or therapeutics are available. The state is expected to receive a vaccine as early as mid-December, but it will be in limited doses and at first go to frontline health care workers and high-risk seniors. The public likely won't get the vaccine until the spring, he said.

Phase four will see venues like bars, nightclubs and large-capacity venues such as Fenway Park reopening. Fauci recently said stadiums could fill back up by September.

The White House task force also suggested Massachusetts continue alerting residents about COVID-19 with the Everbridge notification system and keep using its "Get Back Mass" public service announcement campaign.

Read the ABC story here