The Department of Conservation and Recreation will be opening 81 State Beaches and Waterfronts for the summer season, starting Memorial Day Weekend

The MBTA today announced service changes in June on the Red, Green, Orange, Kingston, Middleborough, Greenbush, Lowell, and Fairmount lines. The MBTA will continue working to improve service reliability across the system.

Operation Money Wise—a financial education opportunity grant.

The State Treasurer’s Office of Economic Empowerment (OEE) invites non-profit organizations, public agencies, and higher education institutions located in Massachusetts to apply for opportunity grants to help empower the Massachusetts Military, Veteran, Family, and Survivor Community (MVFSC) by enhancing regional access to financial education opportunities. The grant application deadline is Thursday, May 25 at 5 PM.

Please be advised for the following DCR Recreational Advisory in regards to Day Use Parking Fees. Starting Saturday, May, 13th, DCR will start collecting day use parking fees across the Massachusetts State Park system. 

COVID Updates

What the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Means in MA

The state and federal COVID-19 public health emergency declaration expired on May 11, 2023, three years after the onset of the pandemic. Although this does not mark the end of the pandemic, the formal ending of the emergency order will lead to some changes in coverage and masking guidelines. Health insurers will continue to cover the cost of COVID tests; however, private health insurers will no longer be required to provide free rapid antigen tests. Access to vaccines and treatments will remain unaffected as their coverage by insurance continues. Healthcare facilities can set their own mask policies, allowing hospital systems to lift their masking requirements. The Commonwealth will continue to focus resources on prevention and virus management. Learn more at mass.gov/covid-19.

Extra Spring COVID Booster Cleared for Certain Americans 

U.S. regulators have cleared another COVID-19 booster dose for older adults and people with weak immune systems so they can shore up protection this spring. The FDA ruled that anyone 65 or older can opt to receive the booster as long as it’s been at least four months since their first dose of the bivalent vaccine, which targets omicron strains. Additionally, most people who are immune-compromised can receive another bivalent booster shot at least two months after their last dose, with additional doses in the future at the discretion of their physician. For everyone else, regardless of whether it’s a first shot or a booster, the FDA also said the original versions of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are outdated and will no longer be used. Instead, anyone getting a Pfizer or Moderna shot will receive the newer omicron-targeted version. For most people, if it’s their first-ever vaccine, just one combo dose will be enough. The FDA is expected to decide over the summer if younger, healthy people will eventually be offered a second bivalent booster. 

FDA Approves United States’ First-Ever RSV Vaccine 

The FDA recently approved GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccine against the respiratory syncytial virus, making it the first authorized RSV shot in the U.S. GSK's vaccine is approved for adults aged 60 and older, a population that is particularly vulnerable to RSV. The disease causes up to 10,000 deaths and as many as 160,000 hospitalizations for people 65 and up per year, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the legislature’s COVID-19 Recovery law, signed by the Governor in December 2021, the legislature appropriated $10 million for compensatory services for students with disabilities who reached age 22 during the pandemic, enabling them to seek additional programming and support after turning 22 that they may have been unable to access during the pandemic (e.g., when schools were physically closed).

Since then, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has been working with other state agencies including the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, the Department of Developmental Services, and the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission as well as advocacy organizations like the Federation for Children with Special Needs to stand up a variety of programs that eligible individuals can access. DESE also has shared information about this program with school districts and encouraged them to be in touch with current and former students. The Federation for Children with Special Needs now offers families a direct point-of-contact to assist with identifying services that may be appropriate and accessible.

Individuals to consult https://fcsn.org/transition-support/ for additional information and support.

Below, please find information on an upcoming virtual information session for those potentially interested in applying for a MassDEP Technical Assistance Grant (TAG). TAGs are available to community and municipal groups to enhance public participation in assessment and cleanup activities at oil or hazardous material disposal sites. TAGs may be used to obtain expert advice and technical assistance and promote community education for qualifying projects.

A link to register for the June 6^th information session is included below and is available on MassDEP’s website, along with additional TAG eligibility information: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/technical-assistance-grants-waste-site-cleanup

Due to federal action, extra COVID SNAP benefits ended on 3/2/2023. However, Massachusetts households will receive state-funded extra SNAP payments on April 7th, May 2nd, and June 2, 202, following Governor Healey's signing of the legislature's supplemental budget that created an offramp from the extra federal COVID SNAP benefits. Visit mass.gov/ExtraCOVIDSNAP to learn more.