Boston Biz Journal seeking records on pandemic

The Boston Business Journal has made a public records request from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for information it has collected around a Biogen employee meeting that may have led to as many as 20,000 cases of COVID-19 but have been stymied in getting those documents, reports Allison DeAngelis of the Boston Business Journal.

DeAngelis reports, “For months, the department has failed to produce records requested by the Business Journal that could offer insight into how the outbreak occurred.

“Records officials have failed to respond to emails since June 22 and have missed two deadlines they set for themselves. A public health department spokesperson did not respond when asked for comment on the delay this week.

“‘Unlike other states, here Massachusetts, we can pinpoint a location where the outbreak began: Biogen. That’s where it began. To not have all of the information disclosed … it’s inconceivable,’ said Justin Silverman, the director of the New England First Amendment Coalition. ‘Without knowing what procedures could be approved upon, we’re doing ourselves a disservice moving into the fall and into the winter flu-season.’

“Massachusetts is not the only state lacking transparency with Covid-19-related records. The coalition has joined forces with news outlets and other organizations in Maine to push for the release of specific municipal case data.”

Read more here.