TESTING POSITIVE. BY FRIDAY THAT INCLUDED MORE
THAN 150 EMPLOYEES OF BOSTON
AREA HOSPITALS.
AREA HOSPITALS. JOINING ME NOW IS BOSTON MAYOR
MARTY WALSH.
MARTY WALSH. MR. MAYOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR TAKING TIME OUT TO JOIN US.
DO YOU HAVE AN UPDATE AS TO HOW
MANY, HAS THAT NUMBER CHANGED?
HOW MANY HEALTH CARE WORKERS
HAVE BEEN INFECTED IN THE BOSTON
AREA?
AREA? >> NO, YOU HAVE THE MOST
ACCURATE NUMBERS AND LITTLE
LATER TODAY WE’LL HAVE MORE
NUMBERS TO UPDATE.
THE NUMBERS USUALLY COME OUT
3:00 MORE 4:00 BY THE STATE
DEPARTMENT PUBLIC HEALTH.
>> GIVE US A QUICK UNDERSTANDING
OF WHERE THINGS STAND, WHERE DO
YOU EXPECT TO BE BY THE END OF
THIS WEEK?
THIS WEEK? >> OUR NUMBERS HAVE INCREASINGLY
GONE UP IN THE LAST FOUR DAYS.
I THINK WE WENT FROM 80 TO 87 TO
113 TO 121 YESTERDAY.
SO WE’RE SEEING THIS RISE.
I THINK THAT AS THE WEEK GOES ON
WE’RE GOING TO SEE OUR NUMBERS
EVEN CONTINUALLY GOING UP MORE
SO SOME ARE SUGGESTING THE
NUMBERS MIGHT DOUBLE BY THE END
OF THE WEEK, DOUBLE DIGITS EVERY
DAY.
DAY. SO WE’RE STILL VERY MUCH IN THE
BEGINNING OF THIS FIGHT, I
THINK, IN TRYING TO PREVENT THE
SPREAD OF THE VIRUS AS MORE
TESTS BECOME AVAILABLE OBVIOUSLY
MORE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO TEST
POSITIVE.
POSITIVE. AND I THINK THAT THAT’S
SOMETHING THAT WE JUST -- WE’RE
GOING TO -- WE HAVE TO CONTINUE
TO PUSH BACK AND MAKE SURE THAT
PEOPLE ARE PRACTICING SOCIAL AND
PHYSICAL DISTANCING.
PHYSICAL DISTANCING. AND MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE
STAYING IN AND AROUND THEIR
HOME.
HOME. THE GOVERNOR, CAME DOWN WITH A
STAY AT HOME ADVISORY IN
MASSACHUSETTS, WHICH INCLUDED
BOSTON.
BOSTON. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GEARING TO
THAT BUT THERE ARE STILL TOO
MANY PEOPLE THAT AREN’T ADHERING
TO THAT.
TO THAT. >> BOSTON HOSPITALS ARE FACING
THE SAME SHORTAGE OF EQUIPMENT,
WHAT WHERE DO YOUR HOSPITALS
NEED?
NEED? ARE YOU HAVING A HARD TIME
ACQUIRING THE SAME EQUIPMENT,
WHETHER IT BE MASKS, PPEs OR
VENTILATORS THAT THE REST OF THE
COUNTRY IS HAVING A HARD TIME
ACQUIRING?
ACQUIRING? >> NO, WE ARE, IT’S NOT JUST
HOSPITALS, IT’S ALSO FRONT LINE
RESPONDERS.
RESPONDERS. I WAS ON A CONFERENCE CALL, AND
WE TOOK SOME ACTION IN SENDING A
LETTER TO WASHINGTON TRYING TO
BREAK THIS LARGE -- TO MAKE SURE
WE GET OUR EQUIPMENT DOWN TO OUR
CITIES AND TOWNS.
THIS WEEK IS REALLY A CRITICAL
WEEK FOR A LOT OF PLACES THAT,
YOU KNOW, ANY SUPPLIES THAT
PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE HAD, THEY’RE
DWINDLING OR THEY’RE GONE.
THIS WEEK IS KEY.
WE’VE BEEN TOLD THIS WEEK THE
EQUIPMENT’S COMING AND WE’RE
GOING TO HAVE IT, AT LEAST THE
MASKS AND GOWNS AND GLOVES AND
THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE CAN’T JUST KEEP HEARING
PROMISES.
PROMISES. IT HAS TO HAPPEN.
YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE WANT TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE PROTECT OUR
FRONT LINE WORKERS.
>> SO WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING
RIGHT NOW TO BE BETTER PREPARED,
BUT YOU CAN’T WITHOUT THE
OUTSIDE SUPPORT?
OUTSIDE SUPPORT? IF YOU LOOK BACK AT THIS RIGHT
NOW, WERE THERE ANY -- ANYTHING
YOU WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY, EITHER
AS A CITY OR MAYOR TO HAVE BEEN
BETTER PREPARED FOR THIS MOMENT?
>> WELL, I THINK FIRST OF ALL
NONE OF US -- I DON’T THINK
THERE’S ANY MAYOR OR GOVERNOR IN
THE COUNTRY OR REALLY PREPARED
TO DEAL WITH A WORLDWIDE
PANDEMIC.
PANDEMIC. I THINK THE FACT THAT WE’RE
GOING THROUGH THIS NOW WE’RE
OBVIOUSLY GOING TO FOR THE NEXT
GENERATIONS OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE
TO DEAL WITH IT WE’RE GOING OF A
PLAYBOOK FOR THEM.
THE SENSE OF URGENCY IS TODAY
AND I THINK THE TOP DOWN
APPROACH AS FAR AS GETTING
EQUIPMENT IS THE WAY THE SYSTEM
THAT WE HAVE FROM FRONT OF US
AND, YOU KNOW, WASHINGTON AND
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO
START GETTING THIS INFORMATION
DOWN, LIKE THEY WERE FOR THE
STIMULUS PACKAGE.
STIMULUS PACKAGE. THEY WORKED QUICKLY ON THE
STIMULUS PACKAGE.
STIMULUS PACKAGE. THEY GOT IT DONE AND THE
PRESIDENT SIGNED IT, 2 TRILLION
TO HELP -- FAIRLY QUICK TO DO
THAT WITH UNANIMOUS SUPPORT.
WHEN IT COMES TO THE MEDICAL
EQUIPMENT, THE FACT WE’RE
LAGGING RIGHT NOW FOR SUCH A
MAJOR COUNTRY AND THE BEST
COUNTRY IN THE WORLD REALLY SAYS
A LOT ABOUT, ON A NATIONAL
LEVEL, WE WEREN’T PREPARED FOR
THIS, AND THIS EQUIPMENT NEEDS
TO GET DOWN.
AS THE MAYOR OF BOSTON AND I
THINK I CAN SPEAK FOR OTHER
MAYORS AND TOWN MANAGERS ACROSS
THE COMMONWEALTH AND GOVERNORS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT’S WHAT
OUR WORKERS NEED RIGHT NOW.
OUR FRONT LINE WORKERS ARE GOING
TOWARDS THE VIRUS TO ADDRESS AND
HELP PEOPLE THAT ARE SICK BUT WE
ARE NOT SUPPORTING THEM ENOUGH
BY GETTING THE EQUIPMENT TO
THEM.
THEM. THAT HAS TO CHANGE.
>> MASSACHUSETTS HAS A STATEWIDE
STAY AT HOME ORDER IN EFFECT
UNTIL APRIL 7th.
YOU SAID YOU EXPECT THIS TO GO
ON LONGER.
ON LONGER. CAN YOU HELP VIEWERS UNDERSTAND
WHY IF PEOPLE ARE LARGELY
STAYING HOME AND SOCIAL
DISTANCING FOR SEVERAL WEEKS
YOUR SENSE IS IT MIGHT TAKE
MONTHS TO GET THROUGH THIS?
>> WELL, I THINK THAT WE’RE
GOING TO TAKE A LONGER TIME,
EVERYONE KEEPS PUTTING DATES AND
MOVING THEM DOWN THE ROAD A
LITTLE BIT HERE AND I THINK THAT
I WOULD RATHER BE PREPARED FOR A
LONGER TERM STAY AT HOME THAN
GIVE PEOPLE FALSE EXPECTATIONS,
AND I THINK THAT PEOPLE NEED TO
UNDERSTAND THE SERIOUSNESS OF
THIS, AND THEY DO.
CLEARLY THERE’S NO QUESTION
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT. BUT I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, ONCE
WE GET OVER THE PEAK HERE, OR
THE CURVE, THAT EVERYONE KEEPS
TALKING ABOUT IF WE DON’T STAY
DISCIPLINED AND CONTINUE TO
SOCIAL DISTANCE AND PHYSICAL
DISTANCE, AND STAY, KIND OF IN
OUR OWN FAMILY UNITS, WHAT WE’LL
SEE IS A SECOND PEAK.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO, AND I’M NOT
AN EXPERT IN THIS, BUT EXPERTS,
I’VE LISTENED TO THEM AND HEAR
THEM AND TAKING THEIR ADVICE
SERIOUSLY, THAT’S HOW WE STAY ON
TOP OF IT.
I WAS TALKING TO A FAMILY MEMBER
YESTERDAY AND THEY WERE TELLING
ME THAT THEY TOOK THE WARNING
FROM ITALY REALLY SERIOUSLY AND
THEY BASICALLY SHUT THE COUNTRY
DOWN.
DOWN. THAT’S WHAT WE HAVE TO DO, WE
HAVE TO BASICALLY SHUT THE
COUNTRY DOWN AND THAT DOESN’T
MEAN AN ORDER HAS TO COME FROM
THE WHITE HOUSE OR DOESN’T HAVE
TO COME FROM GOVERNORS, WE’RE
TELLING PEOPLE, PEOPLE NEED TO
UNDERSTAND THIS IS SERIOUS AND
YOU CAN -- BY PRACTICING SOCIAL