Items

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  2020-07-20

  The Road Home & the dust on my feet

  I returned to the Philippines from London in June, and I wanted to make sure that my experience was catalogued among others like it. I'm planning to add more entries, but this is the first. I wrote it out very like a report, and the succeeding entries will likely expound a little bit more about the experience, firsthand, of bureaucracy on the ground, and the people it most affects; how slowly the government response arrives, and who bears the brunt of this inefficiency.
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  2020-04-06

  Governor's Executive Orders: The US Virgin Islands, April and May 2020

  These executive orders from the US Virgin Islands reflect the various changes wrought by COVID-19, not to mention the virus's stubborn presence, thus requiring extensions of earlier orders. Found in this set of directives dating from April and May 2020 are mandates for beach closures, extension of the V.I. safer-at-home order, and information pertaining to the virtual presentation of the annual St. Thomas Carnival.
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  2020-03-20

  Governor's Executive Orders: The US Virgin Islands

  This set of executive directives, ordered by Governor Albert Bryan, Jr., includes suspensions of certain provisions under the Virgin Islands code, business closures and movement restrictions, as well as stay-at-home order extensions. Dated from March 20 to March 30, 2020, these documents reflect how the US Virgin Islands reacted and adapted to COVID-19's transmission by adopting mitigation efforts unique to an island environment.
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  2020-03-17

  Governor's Executive Orders: The Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands

  With COVID-19 spreading to every corner of the globe, a patchwork of responses emerged, especially in the United States, where the counties, states, and even the overseas territories crafted their own pandemic counter-measures. These two amended executive orders issued by the Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas (Tinian, Rota, and Saipan), outline the actions taken by this US commonwealth in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, including various directives designed to "ameliorate and mitigate" the fallout brought on by the disease's spread.
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  2020-06-01

  Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 35

  Following the announcement of Massachusetts's reopening, this order, signed by Governor Baker on June 1, 2020, clarified the details as to how the state would progress. While some states attempted to rush their reopening in a bid for a quick economic revival, Governor Baker and his team of advisors opted for a much slower and methodical approach, especially given Massachusetts's high number of COVID-19 cases and the correspondingly high death toll. Northeastern University Northeastern University
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  May 18, 2020

  Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 34

  As Massachusetts began its slow reopening process, the Governor allowed for beaches to reopen to a certain spectrum of "passive recreational activities." However, state authorities retained the power to limit the size of crowds and ensure social distancing.
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  May 15, 2020

  Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 32

  Governor Charlie Baker's extension of the state lock down to May 19, 2020. As Massachusetts prepared to follow other states by gradually reopening its economy, the governor issued this order as part of "a measured relaxation of currently existing restrictions."
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  May 1, 2020

  Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 31

  This order required that all residents of the state above the age of 2 years must wear a face mask/covering, either inside or outside, when social distancing is not possible. As scientists raced to understand COVID-19's transmission, the medical community's stance on face masks gradually shifted. In the early days of the pandemic, physicians and public health officials advised against the use of masks, citing their relative ineffectiveness, only to do an about-face a couple of months later by stressing their importance in cutting down on the airborne contagions that allow the virus to jump from person-to-person.
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  April 28, 2020

  Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 30

  Effective on April 28, 2020, this measure extended the state's lock down by maintaining the closure of certain non-essential workplaces, as well as the prohibition on gathering of 10 people or more.
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  April 28, 2020

  Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 29

  A revision of a previous COVID order allowing the Governor's Council to engage in remote participation.
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  April 16, 2020

  Massachusetts Executive Order - 4/16/2020

  This executive order authorized the creation of emergency residential and emergency placement programs for children during the course of the COVID-19 emergency.
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  April 9, 2020

  Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 24

  Order effective on April 9, 2020, that permitted graduate and senior level nursing students to begin practicing; a direct reflection of the dire need for qualified medical personnel to be on hand for the surge of COVID cases that could potentially overwhelm the state's hospital system.
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  April 9, 2020

  Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 25

  In an effort to expand citizens' access to medical services, Governor Baker signed this order so as to require all major health insurers in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to cover any and all medical services related to COVID-19.
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  March 26, 2020

  Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 17

  This order suspends deadlines related to state permits and extends existing permits' validity. Northeastern JOTPY
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  March 26, 2020

  Massachusetts COVID-19 Order No. 18

  One of Governor Charlie Baker's early executive orders extending licenses, permits, and registrations not already covered by previous orders. This highlights the importance of ensuring that all essential services and operations were able to function with little to no interruption during the pandemic.
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  March 20, 2020

  Massachusetts Executive Order Reducing In-Person Transactions at the DMV

  Signed on March 20,2020, this executive order sought to reinforce the state's social distancing measures by reducing the level of contact between people at the Department of Motor Vehicles.
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  March 20, 2020

  Massachusetts Executive Order Permitting the Deferral of Certain Real Estate Inspections

  This executive order signed by Governor Baker on March 20, 2020, permitted the deferral of real estate inspections during home sales or transfers, thereby placing the responsibility of equipping the dwelling with proper alarms/detection systems on the buyer and not the seller.
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  03/23/2020

  Massachusetts Executive COVID-19 Order No. 13

  This order limited gatherings of 10 or more and closed non-essential services, while mandating the continued operations of all essential operations. Signed by Governor Baker on March 23, 2020, the order sought to "minimize all unnecessary activities outside of the home during the state of emergency."
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  March 18, 2020

  Massachusetts Executive Order Closing Child Care Programs and Authorizing the Creation of Emergency Measures

  Signed by Governor Baker on March 18, 2020, this executive order sought to mitigate the virus's spread by closing all child care facilities in the state; a necessary step according to health officials, since COVID-19 easily spread from asymptomatic children to adults.
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  3/15/2020

  Massachusetts Executive Order Expanding Telehealth Services and Protecting Health Care Providers

  Because strict social distancing measures were necessary to combat the virus's spread, telehealth/medicine became essential delivery systems for medical services during the pandemic. On March 15th, 2020, Governor Baker signed this order requiring all in-network healthcare providers to render medical services via telehealth, therefore highlighting how technology acted as a mitigation tool to slow COVID-19. Moreover, this order underscores how the virus has altered how people interacted with the health care system.
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  March 17, 2020

  Massachusetts Executive Order Expanding Access to Physician Services

  Because of the stealthy nature of COVID-19's transmission, and the lethal threat it posed to high-population centers like Boston, state and local health officials braced for a public health emergency that could potentially overwhelm the health care system. Signed by Governor Baker on March 17th, 2020, this executive order expanded the number of physicians permitted to practice in Massachusetts by allowing retired physicians to return upon request, extending physicians' soon-to-expire licenses, and granting emergency licenses to out-of-state physicians with good standing.