Boston coronavirus aid shouldn’t be tied to sanctuary city rules, Marty Walsh responds to Trump

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh pushed back on President Trump’s suggestion that the amount of federal resources available could depend on whether they’re “sanctuary cities” like Boston.

“This is not the time to politicize issues to push forward an agenda,” Walsh said in response to questions at a press conference in front of City Hall on Wednesday.

“Every time the president gets his back up against the wall he pulls out the sanctuary city card and talks about immigration,” Walsh said. “We should be focused on how do we open up America again, not focused on immigration policy — that’s a fear tactic.”

Trump said that the idea of “sanctuary city” policies, which opponents say can jeopardize public safety, “has to be brought up” when considering local aid. The sanctuary city term generally applies to municipalities that have rules in place forbidding cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, and Boston, with its “Trust Act,” is one such city.

In response to a question on whether Walsh is worried about Boston “paying the price” and falling to the back of the line in terms of getting federal resources, the mayor said, “I don’t know how much slower they can go with this stuff.”

Walsh also announced an additional $1.4 million in grants from the Boston Resiliency Fund for nonprofits, largely for testing and food access.

“The key to recovery is testing,” Walsh said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon in front of City Hall. “The testing we’re getting is making a difference.”

Walsh said there now will be 19 sites around the city offering increasingly more tests for COVID-19 — 14 health centers and five hospitals. The locations are all available in a map at boston.gov/coronavirus.

He also noted the ongoing random antibody testing of in some Boston neighborhoods, saying “We aim to complete it by the end of the week.”

At least 9,055 Bostonians have tested positive, with 340 dead and 1,986 recovered from the virus.

Also on Wednesday, Walsh announced that his new chief of staff, Kathryn Burton, would be his administration’s representative on Gov. Charlie Baker’s newly created task force on reopening the economy, and said she’ll be running point on that topic for the city.

Walsh also called out runners and cyclists not wearing masks, echoing mounting frustration of locals that the huffing and puffing of bare-faced people exercising could be further spreading the highly contagious virus.

“I understand why this is making people angry — it’s sending the message to people that you don’t care about them or the community,” Walsh said. “You must have it on covering your nose and mouth when you’re near other people.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2yXQt7D