Baltimore County Joins Baltimore City In Response To Reopening

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — Leaders in Baltimore County and Baltimore City have united in their response to Gov. Larry Hogan's lifting of the stay-at-home order, which takes effect Friday.

Baltimore County Executive Olszewski and Baltimore Mayor Jack Young said in a joint statement they have not yet decided how to proceed.

"We are taking a close look at the specific actions announced today, and we will determine our next steps in the next 24 hours," the two said in their statement Wednesday.

UPDATE:

• Baltimore County Opens Some Businesses, Others Stay Closed
• Stay-At-Home Order Remains In Baltimore: Mayor

The shift to stage one of Hogan's recovery plan would allow retailers, factories and churches to reopen.

It offers a "flexible, community-based approach," Hogan said, that empowers local leaders to control the timing of the reopening in their individual jurisdictions.

"Our top priority is to protect the health and well-being of our people," Olszewski and Young said.

"As Governor Hogan has acknowledged, there is not a statewide, one-size fits all approach to achieving that goal, and just four jurisdictions have 72 percent of the state’s COVID-19 cases," the two leaders said.

Of the 34,812 confirmed cases of the virus in Maryland, here are the jurisdictions with the most residents who have tested positive, according to state health officials:

• Prince George's County: 10,072
• Montgomery County: 7,283
• Baltimore County: 4,160
• Baltimore City: 3,476

Previously, Hogan said four pieces of public health infrastructure would be required to support the state as it transitions from coronavirus response to recovery: increased testing capacity, expanded hospital surge capacity, a robust contact tracing operation and ramp-up of personal protective equipment (PPE).

"For the Baltimore region to safely move into all of Phase One, we need more access to personal protective equipment, as well as increased testing capacity and more robust contact tracing. We’ve seen some progress in each of these areas, but we have to do even more," Olszewski and Young said.

"We acknowledge that this will not be welcome news to all of our residents," they said. "However, rushing to reopen in our large, densely populated jurisdictions jeopardizes the lives of our neighbors and loved ones."

The leaders said that individuals and businesses that had been making "real sacrifices" were "preventing the spread of a deadly virus."

In Baltimore County, 203 people have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, as of May 13. In Baltimore City, 177 people have died from the virus, according to state health data.

"As we work towards re-opening as soon and as safely as we can, we continue to urge residents to stay at home, wear a mask in public spaces and to remain socially-distanced if they go out," Young and Olszewski said. "We will continue to be there for each other, and we will get through this together."

See Also:

• Phase One Of Reopening From Coronavirus To Begin: MD Governor
• Local Leaders 'Don't Feel Comfortable' Reopening: Baltimore Mayor