BOSTON (AP) – Gov. Charlie Baker authorized the activation of 2,000 Massachusetts National Guard members on Thursday to help with the state’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak, as the number of confirmed cases in the state jumped to 328.
Baker said the National Guard will help with requests from state agencies for equipment, logistics, warehousing and other duties. Cities, towns, and state agencies can submit requests for support through the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
Baker declared a state of emergency on March 10, giving the administration more flexibility to respond to the outbreak. The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts is up from 256 reported Wednesday.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported that 43 of the people testing positive in the state were hospitalized. The increase comes as the state is ramping up efforts to test more suspected cases of the disease caused by coronavirus. Of the total, 97 are linked to a meeting by the biotech company Biogen Inc., 46 are local transmissions, 34 are travel related, and the rest are under investigation.
Massachusetts Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said Thursday the state aims to administer 3,500 tests a day by the beginning of next week with the help of private testing facilities, up from about 400 tests per day now.
