Alsobrooks Extends PG County Stay-At-Home Order By 2 Weeks

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks extended the county's stay-at-home order another two weeks Thursday. This announcement came a day after Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced the state would begin entering Phase One of reopening on Friday from closures imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

"I am signing an executive order to issue a stay-at-home order for Prince George's County that will be effective through June 1," Alsobrooks said, during a Thursday morning press briefing.

Over the next two weeks, Prince George's County health officials will be assessing the county's progress in meeting certain criteria before Alsobrooks will consider whether the county is ready to join the rest of Maryland and enter Phase One of the governor's reopening plan.

On Wednesday, Hogan announced that he was lifting the statewide stay-at-home order effective at 5 p.m. Friday, May 15. However, the leaders of some jurisdictions said they were not ready to reopen, and the governor said his plan allows local leaders to have flexibility.

During the press briefing, Dr. Ernest L. Carter, Prince George's County's health officer, outlined the following five metrics the county would need to meet in order to move into Phase One:

• Reduce the curve - "We must have a two-week decline in new cases, and we must have a two-week decline in deaths due to COVID-19," Carter said. The current death rate for the county continues to hover around nine deaths per day. Ideally, the county would need to have less than three deaths per day to consider moving forward.
• Increased health care system capacity - "We must see a two-week decline in our hospitalized COVID-19 cases in Prince George's County," he said. The county also must have at least 30 percent of both its medical beds and ICU beds available in case there is a new surge of cases.
• Adequate testing - Currently, Prince George's County is testing about 5,500 residents per week from all sources, not just the Health Department. "We need to be at least 9,000 Prince George's County residents being tested a week, if not a lot more," he said. "But for reopening, if we can get to 9,000, we're going to be confident that we can get to the next stage." The Health Department offers free testing by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, call 301-883-6627.
• Increased contact tracing - The county needs to increase the number of people it has to contact individuals who have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The Health Department has contracted with individuals to increase its contact tracing capacity and is working with the state on its virtual contract tracing program.
• Increase PPEs - Prince George's County needs to assure that it has enough personal protective equipment and staffing at county hospitals and testing sites, as well as for its front line workers.

According to Alsobrooks, the county is nearing the limit of testing materials and PPE it has been able to acquire on its own. She has requested the state's help in obtaining more tests and for establishing two more testing sites in the county, one in the north and one in the south.

Carter said the five criteria must be met in order for Prince George's County to reopen safely, and health officials would be using the next two weeks to monitor the county's progress.

"We are giving ourselves that time," Alsobrooks said. "What that means is in the interim, we need you to please continue to stay home, except for essential activities like going to the grocery store and picking up medications. Remember, going to the emergency room is always essential."

Over the last few weeks, county hospitals have reported a decline in people going to emergency rooms. Alsobrooks stressed the importance of seeking medical attention for legitimate health care reasons.

"We were hearing those warnings that too many Prince Georgians were afraid of going to the emergency room and were having heart attacks and other critical medical emergencies and staying at home," Alsobrooks said. "We don't mean to stay at home in the case of those kinds of emergencies. We know as well that you must at time visit relatives to take care of them."

Other than those types of activities, Alsobrooks said Prince Georgians should continue to remain at home and non-essential businesses should remained closed through June 1. She added that church goers should continue meeting virtually and not in person. Likewise, restaurants can stay open for delivery or curbside pickup only.

"I know that all of this is hard," Alsobrooks said. "These are really, really trying times for all of us. I have said to you before, I'll say it again, coronavirus will not have the final say in Prince George's. This is a time where we will have to reimagine what our new normal will look like, because we know as a result of what we have experienced, we have to do business differently than we have in the past to make sure that we operate safely."

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