Baker administration confident in-person learning can happen safely

CARLISLE, Mass. — The climbing numbers has the state adding more restrictions but the governor is committed to in-person learning in towns that can do it safely.

Governor Charlie Baker, wearing his mask, gave students in Carlisle a pop quiz on how bats can fly without seeing. The governor then fielded questions from reporters about how the state blindly managed the pandemic when the first surge hit compared to what they are dealing with now.

“We are nowhere near the uncharted end territory we were at in the spring. Nowhere near,” Baker says.

The state’s Covid numbers have been grim in recent days, hitting well over 2,000 cases in one day Wednesday. The number of deaths in the state is more than 10,000.

“The healthcare system is far more prepared to deal with and to manage these issues than they were back in the spring,” Baker says.

The governor says the state is in a better place than it started.

Governor Baker told us, “we currently have about 550 people in the hospital. We had 5,000 people in the hospital at the peak of this. Ten times as many people. Very different."

With the climbing numbers, the governor has added more restrictions to places like restaurants and to gathering sizes. But the administration believes in-person learning can still work and be safe.

"The decision about how is going to be made at the local level because they know their districts best,” Baker says.

State education officials telling us Thursday that 80% of the public schools are doing in-person learning in some fashion, whether it be hybrid or all in.

Download the free Boston 25 News app for up-to-the-minute push alerts

>> Complete local and national coronavirus coverage here

RESOURCES:

- Complete local and national coronavirus coverage here

- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Watch Boston 25 NOW

- Download our free apps for your phone and smart TV