Charlie Baker

For the past 13 months, Massachusetts residents have grown accustomed to wearing a mask almost everywhere they go.

The Gov. Charlie Baker Administration announced Monday morning all of the state’s remaining COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted on May 29, including the face masks restriction in all except a handful of settings.

Gov. Charlie Baker is optimistic that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine approved for emergency use over the weekend will accelerate the effort to get more Massachusetts residents protected against COVID-19, even if states will face a gradual ramp-up in delivery.

With winter weather disrupting life across the South and a storm headed to Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday he and other governors have requested permission to send the National Guard to Kentucky and Tennessee to pick up and bring back the states' next batches of COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Fresh on the heels of a legislative report that identified ways Massachusetts could promote the employment of people with physical or intellectual disabilities, Gov. Charlie Baker's latest budget proposal revived his recommendation to establish a tax credit for companies that hire people with disabilities.

Facing criticism for the state's vaccine rollout, Gov. Charlie Baker detailed plans Monday to move residents 65 or older higher up the priority ladder and substantially bolster the state's distribution infrastructure in the coming weeks.

As the nation reels in the wake of a violent and deadly mob breaking into the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday in response to President Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election, leadership in and around the Central Mass. business community condemned the violence and called for healing.

When he unveiled legislation this month to limit sharp increases in the taxes Massachusetts businesses pay to fund the unemployment system, Gov. Charlie Baker encouraged lawmakers to act soon but conceded that they could wait up to three months to make the change.

The Baker administration plans to distribute 300,000 COVID-19 vaccines over the next three months to Massachusetts residents and workers who face the highest risks for the virus, starting its immunization rollout by focusing on health care workers, long-term care facilities, first responders and congregate care settings.

New measures from the Baker administration to ensure diversity in state contracting include legislation that would elevate the profile of a state office and charge it with holding agencies accountable.