MD Coronavirus: Travelers 'Should Self-Quarantine'

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Gov. Larry Hogan on Monday emphasized that no Marylanders should be traveling outside of the state unless "absolutely necessary." Anyone who has traveled outside of the area in recent weeks needs to self-quarantine for at least 14 days in case they were exposed to the new coronavirus, he said during Monday's news conference.

Hogan emphasized just how troubling the coronavirus pandemic really is.

"For those who still refuse to take this pandemic seriously ... Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, said yesterday that we could expect millions of cases in the United States and 100,000 deaths," Hogan said.

Maryland's governor noted that the virus is spreading "rapidly and exponentially." But some residents are not doing their part to reduce the spread, he said.

As of Monday morning, Maryland has 1,413 cases of the coronavirus, with 15 deaths and 353 people hospitalized by it so far.

"In spite of the rapid escalation of this crisis across the world, the nation and our state, some people are still choosing to ignore those executive orders and directives. Those individuals are endangering themselves and their fellow citizens. Anyone engaged in this type of reckless behavior is in violation of state law and is putting the lives of their family, their friends and their fellow Marylanders at risk," Hogan said.

"This is a deadly public health crisis," he said. "We are no longer asking or suggesting that Marylanders stay home. We are directing them to do so."

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The stay-at-home directive, which takes effect at 8 p.m. Monday, states that no Maryland resident should leave their place of residence unless it is for an essential job or for an essential reason, such as obtaining food or medicine, seeking urgent medical attention or for other necessary purposes.

Only essential businesses are allowed to remain open in Maryland, and those businesses must "make every effort to scale down their operations in order to reduce the number of required staff, to limit interactions with customers and to institute telework for as much of the workforce as is practical," Hogan stated.

An alert will sent Monday to everyone in the state through wireless carriers about the emergency order. See the stay-at-home order.

Hogan announced the stay-at-home order after the number of deaths from the new coronavirus in Maryland tripled over the weekend, from five Saturday to 15 Sunday.

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