Gov. Baker to work with neighboring states on strategy to reopen the economy after COVID-19 pandemic is over

BOSTON — While President Trump says governors of each state will be able to determine when to reopen their economies, governors in the northeast are already making plans to do so on their own – in a joint effort.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker says he’s looking forward to working with six other governors of bordering states in the northeast to come up with a plan to safely reopen their states after the worst of the pandemic is over.

“The most important thing we all need to do when we think about reopening the economy is to do it safely and do it in a way that ensures confidence in the public that it would be done in a way that doesn’t create rebound, an echo,” said Governor Baker Tuesday.

Gov. Baker says it only makes sense to be on the same page as bordering states like Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York since they all rely on each other for trade with people crossing those state lines all the time.

“I think for Massachusetts to forge ahead here without presuming that we’re going to have conversations with states that are around us about what they’re up to and what we’re up to, to make sure that nobody does anything that creates harm for somebody else would just be a bad idea,” said Baker.

While working with those other states, Governor Baker says there will also need to be an increase in COVID-19 testing and isolation over the next few weeks before society can get back to normal.

“Those typical routines of life need to be planned and they need to be organized and they need to be done in a way where we can keep track in a very granular level on what’s going on and ensuring we keep people safe.”

The new governors task force will include a health expert, an economic development advisor and chiefs of staff from each state, but Governor Baker says no matter what this coalition decides, the path to recovery may be a little different in Massachusetts with a surge in COVID-19 cases quickly approaching.

“We’re in the midst of what we believe is going to be a very difficult period for our healthcare community and our Commonwealth through the course of the next several weeks,” said Baker.

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