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Dear <<First Name>>,
Today, Governor Baker announced that the House, Senate, and his administration had reached an agreement to move the tax filing deadline for Massachusetts from April 15 to July 15 to match the extended federal tax filing deadline. This income tax extension is automatic and taxpayers do not need to file any additional forms to qualify.
Effective today, all travelers arriving in Massachusetts are instructed to self-quarantine for 14 days. This guidance will be displayed as posters at service plazas along I-90 eastbound, distributed as flyers at major transportation hubs and posted on highway message boards. Visitors are instructed not to travel to Massachusetts if they are displaying symptoms. Health care workers, public health workers, public safety workers, transportation workers and designated essential workers are exempt from this requirement.
Several new measures to expand health care capacity were also announced today. The Executive Office of Health and Human Services has coordinated with Massachusetts medical schools to facilitate early graduation of their qualified fourth-year students and the Board of Registration in Medicine will provide medical school graduates who have matched as an intern, resident or fellow with a Board-approved Massachusetts health care facility or training program with Emergency 90-Day Limited Licenses. A public health order has also been issued to provide advanced practice registered nurses in good standing with greater flexibility in their prescribing practices in order to support the health care workforce during the COVID-19 response.
To promote the use of telehealth, Governor Baker announced the launch of Buoy Health’s new online resource for residents to check their symptoms and connect with the next appropriate health care resource. This tool does not replace emergency medical care, but it may be used as a support for residents during the COVID-19 outbreak to connect them with appropriate health care resources if they display coronavirus symptoms. The tool is free for Massachusetts residents and uses current COVID-19 guidance from the CDC and Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Governor Baker has also issued an emergency order that provides that a permit will not expire or lapse during the state of emergency for most permits issued by agencies within the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. The order also pauses deadlines for these agencies to decide or hold hearings on permit applications. The clock on those deadlines will resume 45 days after the end of the emergency.
At the federal level, the U.S. House of Representatives passed COVID-19 relief legislation that was passed by the U.S. Senate earlier this week, which has now been signed by the president. See the newsletter we sent out yesterday for some of the specifics on the federal legislation. Please reach out to Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Ed Markey, and Congressman Seth Moulton with any questions or comments on federal legislation.
Please read on below for new, updated, and important information surrounding the COVID-19 crisis and see our past newsletters if you haven't had a chance to read them already for more relevant guidance and directives following Governor Baker's declaration of a state of emergency on March 10th. Visit Mass.gov for complete information, check the municipal websites for Gloucester, Rockport, and Essex for local guidance, and text "COVIDMA" to 888-777 to receive COVID-19 text message alerts straight to your phone.
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