Coronavirus-related developments around New England:
MASSACHUSETTS
Activists clad in hospital gowns will rally on the steps of the Massachusetts Statehouse to urge state lawmakers to use $ 17 million of approximately $ 5.1 billion in federal pandemic relief funds to fill the gap. gap that they say prevents older people from being able to afford necessary health care.
Monday’s rally is hosted by the Massachusetts Senior Action Council. Members will urge state lawmakers to expand the Medicare savings program to include those living up to 200% of the federal poverty line, or about $ 2,146 per month.
Supporters said the program is helping thousands of Massachusetts seniors save hundreds of dollars a month in health care expenses. Campaigners who pushed to expand the program to include people at 165% of the federal poverty level in the 2020 budget said thousands of seniors who still don’t qualify are struggling.
According to the council, almost all Massachusetts seniors with incomes less than $ 2,000 a month and without MassHealth or other assistance spend more than 20% of their income on health insurance premiums. COVID-19 has only made more elderly people economically insecure, activists said.
The demonstration is scheduled for 10 a.m.
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NEW HAMPSHIRE
The University of New Hampshire is making some of its pandemic-related graduation ceremony changes permanent.
The school has traditionally held a large ceremony at its outdoor football stadium, but due to the pandemic it has divided the seniors by college and held a handful of separate ceremonies.
This gave students the opportunity to cross the stage and receive their diplomas instead of being recognized all at once, and officials decided to continue the practice.
Starting next May, the debut exercises will be moved inside the Whittemore Center and graduates will be sorted by university college, Foster’s Daily Democrat reported.
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CONNECTICUT
Connecticut colleges and universities recorded few cases of COVID-19 after many began requiring students to be vaccinated upon their return to campus.
According to data provided by schools, UConn has recorded 18 cases, the state of central Connecticut has recorded 12 and the state of Southern Connecticut has reported 11, the Hartford Courant reported.. The state of eastern Connecticut and the state of western Connecticut have reported seven cases and one case, respectively.
This represents a dramatic turnaround from last fall, when many schools were forced to impose quarantines and send home students who broke social distancing rules. UConn has had to quarantine entire dorms on several occasions.
The state’s private universities have also seen a slowdown, although Connecticut College briefly switched to distance education this month and the University of the Sacred Heart recently saw a spike.
The introduction of vaccines and the fact that schools have now been dealing with COVID-19 for over a year have reduced anxiety levels.
âLast year when you found out you had a positive student, it was almost like panic,â Jessica Nicklin, associate vice president for student success at the University of Hartford, told Courant. âNow, if you get a positive student, there’s a little more comfort in knowing, ‘OK, that’s what we need to do. “
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VERMONT
The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing has launched a Tourism and Economic Recovery Marketing Grants program.
The grants are funded by a $ 600,000 credit from the Vermont legislature intended to support regional tourism and marketing efforts to help recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bennington Banner reports that the grants are intended for local, regional or national organizations who wish to implement campaigns that increase tourism, support local businesses and advance community recovery efforts.
The department will provide grants to reach a broad audience, including under-represented communities and new and diverse visitor communities.
“We have heard from community leaders across the state that the regional marketing grants awarded last year have been very helpful in bringing Vermonters and visitors back to downtown and village centers,” said the Commissioner of the Heather Pelham department. âThe creativity and ingenuity of our local partners is always inspiring and we know that new ideas and marketing strategies will be developed as a result of this program. “