- Associated Press - Monday, April 13, 2020

BOSTON (AP) - Massachusetts is joining six other Eastern states to coordinate strategies for reopening their economies after the coronavirus pandemic eases, Gov. Charlie Baker’s office said Monday.

An aide to Baker confirmed that the Republican governor will participate in the compact along with Democratic governors from Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York had earlier announced that Baker would be part of the compact.

As in other states participating in the deal, Baker’s office maintained that it’s too early to consider easing restrictions. But the governors said they want to be prepared to move ahead once the disease threat recedes.

Economic and health experts from each state will be part of a group working on a framework for the states’ reopening plans, Cuomo said.

Republican President Donald Trump responded to the governors’ plans by saying he is the ultimate decision-maker.

Some are “saying that it is the Governors decision to open up the states, not that of the President of the United States & the Federal Government. Let it be fully understood that this is incorrect…it is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons,” Trump tweeted Monday.

Trump and his administration are working closely with governors, he said.

In other coronavirus-related developments in Massachusetts:

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NURSING HOMES

Massachusetts officials are pressing forward on efforts to help nursing homes and assisted living facilities prevent the spread of the coronavirus, especially deadly for older people, Baker said Monday.

Of about 1,000 senior living locations in Massachusetts, he said, 140 have had at least one confirmed COVID-19 case. The state continues to conduct testing at the sites, Baker said.

The state is also ramping up its support for Chelsea, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus.

Massachusetts has increased testing fourfold in the Chelsea area and is creating isolation areas at a hotel for those who test positive and can’t stay with their families.

As Massachusetts experiences a surge in cases, Baker said, much more testing needs to be done to help officials better understand the scope of infection and assits the state’s contact tracing program.

“The days and weeks ahead are going to be difficult,” Baker said.

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NUMBERS

The number of people in Massachusetts who have died from COVID-19 rose to 844 on Monday, an increase of 88 deaths.

The number of residents who have tested positive for the coronavirus that causes the disease rose to more than 26,800, according to the Department of Public Health.

More than 2,300 have been hospitalized since the outbreak’s start. More than 122,000 have been tested.

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HOSPITAL CAPACITY

State officials are monitoring bed capacity at hospitals as the number of virus cases grows, Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said Monday.

About half of all hospital beds are occupied - meaning about half are available, Sudders said.

As of Sunday night, there were about 36 patients being treated at a temporary medical center set up for COVID-19 patients at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Sudders said. A second field hospital set up at the DCU Center in Worcester was treating 10 patients.

Sudders cautioned that the expected surge in those who test positive for COVID-19 could put additional pressure on hospitals.

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SOLDIERS HOME DEATHS

The number of veteran resident deaths at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke has climbed to 40, with 33 testing positive for COVID-19. Seven tested negative.

State health officials said another 88 residents have also tested positive for the disease, as have 78 employees.

The home is now the subject of several investigations, including one by the U.S. attorney’s office in Massachusetts, which is trying to determine whether residents were denied adequate medical care.

The number of veteran resident deaths at a second facility — the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home - increased to 11 on Monday with eight testing positive for COVID-19 and three testing negative. Another 41 staff members also tested positive.

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REWARD FROM CELEBS

Actor John Krasinski and retired Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz have given a major boost to some tireless Boston health care workers on the front lines in the fight against the new coronavirus.

The pair announced during Krasinski’s “Some Good News” YouTube show Sunday that workers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston would be getting free Red Sox tickets.

“I want to tell you from the bottom of my heart how much I love and respect you for what you’re doing,” Ortiz said via video, before announcing that the team would donate four tickets to Beth Israel and its employees “for life.”

The donation was in response to a tweet from the hospital this month showing a Beth Israel employee in scrubs and a mask holding a sign expressing love for the Red Sox.

Also on the show, some hospital employees were taken to Fenway Park in “the most sanitized Duck Boat in America” and thanked via video by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Gov. Charlie Baker and first lady Lauren Baker, and members of the team.

The hospital workers then threw out a ceremonial first pitch for the yet-to-start 2020 season.

Krasinski starred in “The Office” and grew up in the Boston suburb of Newton.

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