MD Coronavirus: Lack Of Access To Help 'Unacceptable,' Hogan Says

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The Easter bunny has been declared an essential employee. That was one of the announcements Gov. Larry Hogan made during a news conference Friday that covered the latest coronavirus-related developments, from plans to ramp up testing to increased staffing of the state's labor department to handle unemployment claims.

But first he had good news for "kids out there who have been concerned," he said, due to the stay-at-home order he issued more than a week ago that limits gatherings to fewer than 10 people and encourages people to stay home unless they are essential workers or conducting essential errands.

"Today I am officially proclaiming the Easter bunny as an essential worker," Hogan said, allowing him to hop across the state on the essential business of delivering Easter baskets to children. Of course, the kids will need to stay at home to receive them.

"This would be the worst possible time for people to be violating executive orders and to be congregating together," Hogan said, speaking from the State House in Annapolis on Good Friday. "As difficult as it is, particularly on a holiday weekend when people want to be together ... it’s a really dangerous time to be doing it."

Nearly 7,000 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus have been reported in the state as of April 10, according to the Maryland Department of Health.

In the last day, 33 people have died from the virus in Maryland, bringing the death toll to 171.

Acknowledging there has not been widespread access to testing for the virus, Hogan said the state has invested $2.5 million in a large-scale testing initiative that could process up to 20,000 tests a day, in a partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Another major problem was the lack of PPE, or personal protective equipment, the governor said.

A new decontamination site will be set up for PPE at the Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport, through a partnership between the Maryland Department of Transportation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It will allow for cleaning and sterilization of up to 80,000 N95 masks each day, he said, to make them available to those on the front line.

Strike teams that were formed earlier this week to assist nursing homes with their response to the virus have expanded to include group homes, Hogan said.

Made up of members of the National Guard, health departments, EMS clinicians, doctors and nurses from local hospitals, the strike teams have responded to "nine nursing home situations across the state, and have been deployed to 15 group homes with medically fragile children," Hogan said. Teams will also expand their coverage area to assisted living.

In the 72 hours since they have been operational, Deputy Health Secretary Fran Phillips reported the strike teams went to a variety of group homes with more than 65 "very vulnerable" children to ensure adequate PPE was available.

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First, the strike teams are doing assessments, but they can also conduct testing and provide care if needed. For the past two days, she said they have been conducting assessments in nursing homes.

Registry For The Recovered

On a positive note, Phillips said the state will have more than 400 people who have recovered from COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

To help them share their stories, the state is launching COVID Connect, a registry for those who have recovered. There these people can learn about research opportunities and offer support.

After speaking directly with the patients, Phillips said most were "tremendously relieved" to have gotten to the other side of the illness "but what has been so striking is their interest in giving back" to others who are in isolation and those conducting research. She called the recovered coronavirus patients "public health champions."

The public has the opportunity to be public health champions as well this weekend, by staying home, she added.

"I too will miss my children and my grandchildren," said Phillips, who will not be with them for Easter due to the governor's stay-at-home order. "But I do share with them through Zoom and other video devices opportunities to connect."

Unemployment, Budget, Hiring Issues

Connections have been difficult for some to make when it comes to filing for unemployment.

More than 108,000 people in Maryland filed for unemployment the week ending April 4, according to the most recent data from the state. Due to what the Maryland Department of Labor called an "unprecedented volume of users due to COVID-19," it began allowing claimants to file online for weeks that they have missed of unemployment checks.

Since March, officials said about 95 percent of claims have been filed online but federal employees and those who have worked out of state have encountered issues filing and had to call. Others have reported the website crashing in the midst of filing.

The call center was receiving "up to thousands of calls per hour," Hogan said.

Phone lines have been open at the claim call center from 7 am. to 6 p.m Monday to Friday at 410-949-0022.

"Even one Marylander" not getting the service required is "completely unacceptable to me," Hogan said, adding he was reassigning workers from other agencies to the labor department.

"I have activated the full weight of the state government," Hogan said, "to ensure that all unemployed Marylanders will get the help that they need."

The agency will start offering Saturday hours, Labor Secretary Tiffany Robinson said.

More than 150 state employees were being deployed to help, more than doubling the staff in the claims center to process the requests, she added. An email address will take questions from those seeking assistance: ui.inquiry@maryland.gov.

Marylanders are not alone in financial distress. More than 10 percent of workers in the United States have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus in the past three weeks, according to the Associated Press, which reported this was expected to continue, with nonessential businesses closed in 48 states.

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot projected potential revenue losses of up to $2.8 billion for the fiscal year 2020 in the state.

With budget constraints, Hogan announced a hiring freeze and said "it is very unlikely that any bills which require increased spending will be signed into law."

Responding to the coronavirus crisis was going to deplete the state's rainy day fund and "will likely create a multi-year budget issue," Hogan said.

Election Update

The April primary was set for April 28, but the governor said holding the election in person would be a public health danger, so in a previous declaration he moved it to June 2. At the time, he tasked the state board of elections with coming up with a plan for how voting would take place.

Some polling places will be available for those unable to vote by mail or with special needs for the June 2 primary, the Maryland State Board of Elections has decided.

Those who can vote by mail should do so, the governor said.

People who vote in person would be those who do not have a mailing address or who may have special needs such as the blind, Hogan said during a virtual town hall Thursday on WBFF.

Voters in District 7 will be voting exclusively by mail in the special election April 28 to fill the seat left vacant by the late Rep. Elijah Cummings (D).

This district includes parts of Howard and Baltimore counties and Baltimore City. Ballots will be sent out in early April and must be postmarked on or before April 28. Ballots will have envelopes with postage enclosed.

"Free and fair elections are the very foundation of our democracy," said the governor, who pledged to "ensure that the voice of every Marylander is heard in a safe and secure manner."

Said Hogan: "There have been other times in our history that events and conflicts have prevented us" from doing things "the way that we are accustomed." Talking specifically about this weekend, he said: "The way that we celebrate this weekend will be very different but that in no way should diminish the promise of Easter, which celebrates a resurrection after a period of suffering and sacrifice."

Said Hogan: "Easter really is a day of hope ... something that all of us could desperately use right now. So this weekend I ask all Marylanders regardless of their faith to reflect on that spirit of hope and to carry it forward in these difficult days and weeks ahead."

Watch Hogan's April 10 news conference.

See Also:

• Coronavirus In MD: 6,968 Confirmed Cases, 171 Deaths
• Baltimore Coronavirus Testing Site Opening At Pimlico Race Course
• MD Coronavirus Data Shows 'Troubling Disparities' By Race: Hogan