via Christian Wade, Statehouse Reporter
Gov. Charlie Baker is extending a shutdown of schools for the remainder of the school year as the state battles a surge in COVID-19 infections and deaths. On Tuesday, Baker said public and private schools won't open again until the fall and recommended residents continue to stay home and practice social distancing. "It's the right thing to do, considering the facts on the ground associated with COVID-19," Baker said a Tuesday briefing. Emergency day care centers set up by the state for the children of nurses, health care workers and other front-line medical personnel battling the virus will remain open, Baker said. Earlier in the day, the state's largest teachers union called on Baker to keep schools closed and allow remote learning to continue "for the remainder of the school year."