Coronavirus Crisis: Baker Says You Can't 'Just Flip The Switch' And Re-Open Country
BOSTON (CBS) -- Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday talked about the challenges Massachusetts and other states will face to bounce back from the coronavirus once the surge subsides. This comes as President Donald Trump says the decision on when states can re-open is up to him.
"For the purpose of creating conflict and confusion, some in the Fake News Media 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," Trump tweeted. "It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons. With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue. A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly!"
Baker did not directly respond to Trump's claim at his news conference, but discussed what it would take for Massachusetts and the country to rebound.
"I don't think anybody thinks you can just flip the switch at any point in the not-too-distant future, given the fact that the surge is actually not the same everywhere," Baker said. "It's a wave that's going to play out across the country at different points in time."
Massachusetts is testing nearly 8,000 people for coronavirus, according to the latest numbers. But Baker said that even though that Massachusetts is doing more testing than most other states, it's not enough.
"The call we had earlier today with the Vice President, with most of the governors was all about testing, and the fundamental notion that we need to do a lot more testing," Baker said. "That's a big part of surveillance if we're going to get to the point where we can start thinking about how to make people believe that it's safe to go back to work, safe to go back to doing some of the things they did in the past."