Massachusetts residents 55 years old and older, and those with one qualifying medical condition are eligible to schedule an appointment to receive the vaccine at any of the more than 300 vaccination locations in MA. The full timeline is available at http://mass.gov/COVIDVaccinePhases To preregister go to http://vaxfinder.mass.gov.
Outage To Last At Least Through Tuesday
The Registry of Motor Vehicles reports that that inspection stations will be unable to perform inspections because Applus Technologies, the vendor that provides vehicle inspection software, is still not functioning after an attack on the software on March 30. This shutdown affects Massachusetts and seven other states. The RMV has informed law enforcement officials about the inspection system shutdown so that drivers with expired stickers do not face fines or penalties.
Thank you to the members of Post 3 and to the many volunteers who helped prepare, serve and deliver hundreds of Easter meals this year to those in need in Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester, Ipswich, and the Essex area on Easter Sunday.
I will share Post 3's mission statement for this event here: No one should be alone and without a hot meal on Easter Sunday.
Temporary Overnight Lane Closures on 128 Northbound and Southbound
Closures are scheduled to begin on Monday April 5, 2021, and are needed to facilitate construction operations
Work will be conducted weekly, from Sunday through Thursday, from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning
WENHAM/MANCHESTER/GLOUCESTER – The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing that it will be implementing temporary single lane closures on Route 128 northbound and southbound from Grapevine Road in Wenham to Grant Circle in Gloucester. The closures will begin on Monday, April 5, 2021, and will take place weekly, from Sunday through Thursday, during overnight hours from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. the following morning. This work is scheduled to continue through November 2021, and then resume in Spring 2022.
The closures are needed to allow crews to safely and effectively conduct construction operations as part of the ongoing resurfacing and related work project on Route 128. A single lane of traffic in will be maintained in both directions during construction operations. Traffic on Route 128 northbound or southbound could be impacted by the temporary lane closures.
Signs, traffic control devices, temporary detour signs and variable message boards will be used to guide drivers through the work zone.
The work is part of a $16.9 million resurfacing and related work project on Route 128. The full project is currently expected to be completed in October 2023.
MassDOT encourages drivers to reduce speed and use caution while approaching and traveling through the work zone and to allow for extra time through this area.
All work is weather dependent and is subject to change without notice.
RMV Says Vendor Has Not Provided a Timeline For Restoration
Here is a press release from Applus, the vendor involved:
Applus Technologies Identifies Malware Incident, Temporarily Disrupting Massachusetts Vehicle Inspections
BROOKFIELD, WISCONSIN (March 31, 2021) Applus Technologies, Inc. detected and stopped a malware attack which has temporarily interrupted the process of conducting vehicle inspections in Massachusetts and other locations. The restoration involves resetting Applus Technologies’ IT environment and will take some time to fully restore the functionality of vehicle inspections.
“Unfortunately, incidents such as this are fairly common and no one is immune,” said Darrin Greene, CEO of the US entity, Applus Technologies, Inc. “We apologize for any inconvenience this incident may cause. We know our customers and many vehicle owners rely on our technology and we are committed to restoring normal operations as quickly as possible.”
For information regarding this incident and updates on the operational status, please contact Applus Technologies at ContactUs@MAVehicleCheck.com.
