Federal aid is on the way to help Massachusetts in the fight against coronavirus.
President Trump has approved Gov. Charlie Baker’s federal disaster request, declaring a major disaster in Massachusetts and freeing up federal funding to help combat COVID-19.
Baker addressed Trump’s sign-off in a press conference at the American Red Cross in Dedham on Saturday.
“I think the biggest thing it’s going to mean for us in the short term is access to support services that relate specifically to COVID-19,” Baker said. “The thing that we’ve been having the biggest conversation with the feds about is talking to the Army Corps about setting up alternative care facilities, and I would expect that that in particular is going to be the thing that is most important to us in the short term.”
Baker said last weekend the state has been in talks with the Army Corps of Engineers to find facilities that can be repurposed into medical centers to treat patients as the number of coronavirus cases continues to climb. Coronavirus cases in the state topped 3,240 on Friday, with 35 deaths.
Under the disaster declaration, federal funding and assistance will now be available for emergency protective measures at the state, municipal and tribal level, according to a White House press release.
Federal funding will also be available for crisis counseling for affecting individuals across the state.
W. Russell Webster, the Federal Emergency Management Agency regional administrator, will oversee recovery operations here.
Baker had sent a letter to the president Thursday asking for federal assistance “as a direct result of the overwhelming and adverse impacts from the coronavirus pandemic.”
President Trump on Friday signed a $2.2 trillion coronavirus economic relief package. U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan said Massachusetts will receive approximately $2.67 billion for “additional resources to cope with the pandemic” at the state and local levels.