Rep. Pressley On Massachusetts Reopening: 'We Only Have One Opportunity To Get This Right'
CAMBRIDGE (CBS) -- Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is among those at odds with the Baker administration over reopening Massachusetts at this point in time. She argues that the Commonwealth isn't ready.
Pressley was in Cambridge Thursday at the Citywide Senior Center. She joined staff and volunteers from the organization Food for Free as they prepared deliveries of produce and shelf stable foods for residents at high risk of hunger during the coronavirus outbreak.
Afterward, Pressley called on Gov. Charlie Baker to reevaluate the timeline of the state's four-phase reopening plan.
"We only have one opportunity to get this right," she said.
The congresswoman went on to warn that if we reopen prematurely, that could lead to further surges. She highlighted that that those surges are more than just data points, they're lost lives.
"I don't think this reopening plan is being informed by science," she said. "I'm very sensitive to the hurt that everyone is feeling, but the economic crisis, the hurt that our small businesses are feeling, is driven by a public health crisis. And so we first have to confront, at scale, the public health crisis."