Gov. Charlie Baker speaks to reporters after a test ride of the new MBTA Green Line Extension on Thursday. Photo: Mass. Governor's Office
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — COVID tests have been few and far between in the past few weeks, and Gov. Charlie Baker pinned some of the blame on the federal government on Thursday.
"The federal government is struggling to deliver on a number of commitments that they've made to states already," Baker said. The governor made the remarks on testing at a press appearance at Lechmere Station, after he gave the new MBTA Green Line Extension a test ride.
Read More: More Sites To Open As Boston Faces Testing Shortage
Baker said that those who want tests will just need to be patient. He also said the lack of testing appointments were because of a "staffing issue," like many other sectors of the economy.
"People need to understand that they're probably going to have to wait," he said, and said he has been "very aggressively" in contact with the federal government over testing infrastructure for a long time. Baker said the federal slowness on testing is what pushed his administration to go around the federal government and give out 2.1 million COVID tests to more than a hundred communities.
WBZ's Mike Macklin (@mikemacklinwbz) was there:
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