MD Coronavirus: School Closures Extended, Food Programs Expand

ANNAPOLIS, MD — School closures have been extended until mid-May, food assistance programs are being put in place and unemployment services are being expanded as Maryland comes up on the third week of being under a stay-at-home order. Officials described the steps as part of an incremental plan for the state to resume operating after the new coronavirus pandemic.

Gov. Larry Hogan said Friday that while the state was "talking about the gradual reopening," it was "not able to start that quite yet" since deaths and hospitalizations from the new coronavirus continued rising.

"You have to have 14 days of numbers going down," Hogan said. "All have to be in a downward direction for 14 straight days before you can even consider the reopening of anything, and that's according to the federal guidelines." He said hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths must start trending down to signal it would be OK for things to begin reopening.

"Our numbers are all going up," Hogan said. "Now is not the time to open things up."

So far 425 people have died in Maryland from the new coronavirus, which has put 2,612 people in the hospital, according to the Maryland Department of Health. This week Hogan noted the state has seen its "deadliest 48 hours," with more than 80 people dying from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, in a two-day period.

Next week Hogan said he will release a plan he called the "Maryland Strong: Roadmap for Recovery" that will address the reopening of services and will take into consideration federal guidelines released Thursday.

School Closures Extended Until May 15

For the time being, schools will be closed. The state superintendent extended the closure for an additional three weeks.

"I am extending the closure of schools through May 15," Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Karen Salmon announced Friday. It is still possible that school may resume before June 15, she said.

Initially, she ordered public schools in Maryland to close from March 16 to March 27 in response to the new coronavirus. On March 25, Salmon said schools would remain closed through April 24.

"The governor through this time has taken great care in making strategic decisions and doing things incrementally," Salmon said. "And I feel that this is one of those decisions that we need to make incrementally to see where we are in another month. We don't know what's going to happen. And I certainly don't want to dash the hopes of many children and parents that there might be some other ways to do public school going forward."

Recovery of any lost instructional time may take the form of extended summer school time, Salmon said.

"We're certainly looking more toward summer and summer learning programs," Salmon said. The school system was "beefing up" professional development and digital resources thanks to federal funding. "It's going to be a very robust kind of program," she said, of summer programs.

"I understand the impact of the uncertainty of the situation, and it's created much anxiety," she said, particularly among high school seniors. Local superintendents have been working on "creative alternatives" to give the seniors the recognition they deserve, she said, such as virtual celebrations.

She thanked superintendents for their "unwavering tenacity and leadership," teachers for their hard work and flexibility and parents and student for stepping up to help through this uncertain time.

People are not defined by what happens "but how we react to what happens," Salmon said. "Let's continue to stay positive and work together while we are physically apart."

The head of the Maryland State Education Association applauded the move to keep schools closed.

"This is the right decision for the safety and health of our students, educators and state," Maryland State Education Association President Cheryl Bost, who is also a Baltimore County elementary school teacher, said in a statement. "Educators will continue to do our best for our students as together we navigate the challenges of crisis distance learning. We know that this type of learning is no substitute for in-person learning, and we will need to be thoughtful and serious about how we help students recover from this crisis."

Said Bost: "Recent weeks have magnified existing inequities — whether of technology access, food security, or otherwise — that our students face every day and that challenge their ability to succeed in school. We must come together to address these issues over the short- and long-term. Everyone’s safety is paramount, but we remain hopeful that educators and students will be able to spend time together again at their schools before this school year is over."

In the meantime, the state has received $45.8 million from federal partners through the CARES Act to keep providing child care to essential personnel, according to Salmon, who said more than 3,700 sites were providing 25,000 children of essential personnel with child care across Maryland.

Unemployment And Business Relief

The Maryland Department of Labor is launching a "one-stop shop" for contractors, self-employed Marylanders, federal workers, multi-state wage claimants, members of the military and others so that all can file unemployment claims online, according to the governor.

To assist those in need, Maryland is investing $4 million in the Maryland Food Bank and the Capital Area Food Bank, with local jurisdictions matching the investments, totaling $8 million, he said.

"Food banks across our state have stepped up in a truly inspiring way," Hogan said.

The Maryland Department of Human Services is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to "dramatically accelerate" an initiative for those enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to get meals online and have them delivered to their homes at no cost.

The governor thanked ShopRite and Amazon for waiving delivery fees for the SNAP pilot initiative.

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In recent weeks, the state has helped more than 9,000 Marylanders keep their jobs through the provision of $8 million to 410 small businesses statewide as part of the state's $175 million relief package. He said there have been 9,100 applications for loan funds and more than 2,200 applications for the grant fund to assist local businesses.

Maryland also created a $5 million fund to incentivize the manufacturing of personal protective equipment, and he said three companies — DVF Corporation of Washington County, Awesome Ninja of Baltimore and NRL & Associates of Queen Anne's County — have received funding to make plastic parts for respirators, protective face shields and ventilators, respectively.

Face Coverings Mandatory Starting Saturday

Hogan reminded residents that face coverings will be mandatory starting Saturday. To slow the transmission of the virus, face coverings will be required in retail establishments and on public transportation starting at 7 a.m. statewide.

Face coverings are defined as items that obscure a person's nose and mouth, including scarves and bandanas. Those who are younger than 9 years old will not be required to wear them in retail environments, although those older than 2 are encouraged to wear them.

While the governor heard from some that this was an infringement on their rights, Hogan said: "Spreading this disease infringes on your neighbors' rights."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued instructions for how to make cloth face coverings.

Health officials say face coverings are important to slow the spread of the virus, which is passed through respiratory droplets and can be passed from people who are not showing symptoms and may not know they have the virus.

Watch the governor's April 17 news conference:

More information about coronavirus testing and symptoms is available from the Maryland Department of Health.

See Also:

• Trump Announces Guidelines For Reopening, Leaves Timing To Governors
• Unemployment During Coronavirus: 61K Marylanders Filed Claims Last Week
• Protest To Reopen Maryland Planned For April 18: Coronavirus
• MD Coronavirus Cases Rise After 'Deadliest 48 Hours'
• Face Masks Required Statewide Plus 4 Benchmarks To MD Reopening
• MD Coronavirus: No School Closure Decision, Superintendent Says
• Maryland Coronavirus: 425 Deaths; 11,572 Confirmed Cases