Face Masks Required Statewide Plus 4 Benchmarks To MD Reopening

ANNAPOLIS, MD — As Maryland officials work on a roadmap to reopening the state, Gov. Larry Hogan said Wednesday that four benchmarks have to be met before restrictions are lifted. With the rate of coronavirus cases continuing to increase, residents need to remain at home and starting Saturday will be required to wear a face mask or covering when shopping or using public transportation.

“Fortunately, because of the early and aggressive actions and because of the extraordinary sacrifices of Marylanders, we are now in a position to move from containment and mitigation to planning the gradual rollout of our recovery phase,” Hogan said at a Wednesday press briefing. “Right now while our numbers are still climbing and we are still heading up that curve, not down, it is absolutely critical for Marylanders to stay home, to continue avoiding crowds and gatherings, and to aggressively practice social distancing.”

An executive order requires residents to wear face coverings when inside any retail establishments or when riding any form of public transportation in Maryland. The order also means all retail locations must require staff to wear face coverings and businesses must put appropriate social distancing measures in place.

To give retailers time to make these adjustments, the order will go into effect Saturday, April 18, at 7 a.m.

The CDC has issued instructions on how to make cloth face coverings. Read the governor’s order.

For several weeks, state officials have been consulting with doctors and public health experts to develop a roadmap for the reopening of Maryland and the state economy. These measures need to be met before Hogan will amend coronavirus restrictions.

• Testing. Maryland has expanded testing capacity by more than 5,000 percent in the past month and the state is on track to more than triple current capacity to perform up to 10,000 tests per day.
  • The state recently secured an additional 40,000 tests, including 30,000 that will use Abbott m2000 testing machines.
  • On Wednesday, the state entered into a separate agreement with Abbott Labs to acquire a substantial number of antibody tests.

• Hospital Surge. Efforts to increase hospital surge capacity by 6,000 beds are weeks ahead of schedule, he said.
  • In partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the state is converting the Hagerstown Correctional Facility and the former Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park to serve COVID-19 patients. The latter site is near the highest concentration of positive coronavirus cases in Montgomery County.
  • Construction of a surge response tent at Adventist’s Fort Washington Hospital, located in a region of Prince George’s County with a high concentration of coronavirus cases, is near completion.
  • 60 additional response tents are being set up in Frederick, Jessup, Hagerstown, Annapolis, Baltimore, Germantown, and Randallstown.

• PPE. A multi-agency task force is leading efforts to increase the state’s supply of personal protective equipment.
  • In the past week, the state received 1 million additional face shields and 1,000 ICU beds.
  • In the next week, the state is expecting deliveries of 4.5 million additional N95 masks, 290 oxygen concentrators, and 252 ICU ventilators.

• Contact Tracing. A contact tracing operation is beefing up that will enable the state to investigate every positive coronavirus case and ensure that those patients remain in isolation for the duration of their illness.
• The state has about 250 people conducting contact tracing statewide.
• Plans are underway to quadruple this force to at least 1,000 dedicated contact tracers by using additional state employees and outside contractors.

For the latest on the new coronavirus in Maryland, get Patch news alerts.

Other information released at the briefing include:

STRIKE TEAMS UPDATE: Hogan said statewide strike teams have responded to outbreaks in 16 nursing homes and assisted living facilities and 15 group homes for medically fragile children. In partnership with FEMA and HHS, Maryland has augmented these strike teams with three federal Disaster Medical Assistance Teams made up of physicians, paramedics, and safety officers.

CAPITAL REGION COLLABORATION: A teleconference with Hogan, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is planned for Friday to discuss regional issues and collaboration. The three leaders issued a joint statement on March 23 regarding their regional partnership.

SHAREHOLDER MEETINGS: An emergency order by Hogan allows public companies incorporated in Maryland to delay shareholder meetings, or convert previously scheduled in-person meetings to be virtual meetings. Read the governor’s order.

PRESERVING THE SUPPLY OF NECESSARY DRUGS: An emergency order by the governor put restrictions on the dispensing of drugs that may be necessary to treat COVID-19, including hydroxychloroquine. Read the governor’s order.

RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL ASL DAY: Hogan presented a citation to Jimmy Beldon, the certified deaf interpreter for the governor’s press conferences, in recognition of National ASL Day. Read the governor’s citation.

All of Hogan's emergency orders are available here.

For COVID-19 resources, including case counts and clinician guidance, visit coronavirus.maryland.gov.

Related:

• Coronavirus Drive-Thru Test Site Opening At MD State Fairgrounds
• MD Coronavirus Cases Top 10,000; 349 Deaths; 65 Probable Deaths
• MD Judge Orders Release Of At-Risk Inmates During Pandemic
• MD Coronavirus: Plans For Slow Reopening Being Made, Hogan Says