SOMERVILLE, MASS. (WHDH) - The lines have been long at coronavirus testing sites in Massachusetts ahead of Christmas, despite repeated pleas from Gov. Charlie Baker not to travel and to limit gatherings to household members only due to the surging pandemic.
With Massachusetts’ health care system on the brink of being overwhelmed, Baker this week begged residents to stay home for the holidays. His desperate plea came after many people ignored his guidance and gathered on Thanksgiving, resulting in tens of thousands of new virus cases in the weeks that followed the holiday.
On Wednesday morning, long lines wrapped around the Carewell Urgent Care in Somerville as people planning to travel or see others scrambled to get tested.
“We got another rapid test right when we got here, just for sanity’s sake, and that came back negative,” said Rich Pelosi, who traveled to Massachusetts for the holiday. “We found out we might have been exposed in the last few days, so we’re here doing another one.”
More than 2,000 people are currently being treated for COVID-19 at hospitals across the state — the highest number of hospitalized patients since May.
Anticipating a great deal of holiday travel, Baker on Tuesday announced a set of new restrictions that will take effect on Dec. 26.
“Our hospitals are now under significant pressure and we’re heading toward another period, this holiday stretch, where we’re likely to see another significant increase in cases and hospitalizations unless everybody plays a very different game than the one we all played at Thanksgiving,” Baker said. “As a result, we think it’s appropriate to take action now to slow that spread. And we must do so in a way that can avoid overriding our hospital system.”
Testing sites are expected to be jammed right up until Christmas Eve.
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