Peter Martin Writes “States of Emergency” for Worcester Medicine
On March 10, 2020, Massachusetts Governor Baker declared a state of emergency. Since then, the declaration was rescinded and the state of emergency terminated, and the Commissioner of Public Health re-issued 14 public health orders related to the pandemic. This sequence of events, and the legal authorities that are allowed to make these decisions, raise interesting questions about what is a public health emergency and how do we know when it is over. Peter Martin dives into more detail in his article in Worcester Medicine magazine. Here is an excerpt:
The problem of finding a public health emergency in garden-variety health problems is exacerbated by the lack of a clear path out of emergency and into resumed normality. The Model State Emergency Health Powers Act permits the governor to terminate the public health emergency by executive order; limits emergency declarations to 30 days, but permits the governor to renew declarations for an unlimited number of additional 30-day periods; and gives the legislature the power to terminate the declaration but only with a majority vote of both chambers.
Continue reading the full article “States of Emergency” in Worcester Medicine magazine.
Categorized: Publications
Tagged In: COVID-19, pandemic, state of emergency
