restrictions

Hogan Lifts Most Remaining COVID-19 Restrictions, Effective Saturday

May 13, 2021 by Maryland Matters Leave a Comment

In the latest sign that the state is emerging from a pandemic that has upended everyday life for more than a year, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) on Wednesday eased most of the remaining restrictions on public gatherings and commerce.

As a result, restaurants can return to 100% capacity both indoors and outdoors, effective on Saturday.

State restrictions on indoor entertainment venues, conventions and other businesses are also being lifted. And restrictions on outdoor professional sports, entertainment and arts venues are also being pulled.

“Effectively, as of Saturday, every business in Maryland will be able to open at 100%, with no restrictions,” Hogan told reporters outside Government House.

As of Wednesday, two-thirds of the state’s adult population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and more than 2.4 million Marylanders have been fully vaccinated.

The state’s test-positivity rate is a 2.74%, its lowest level since September. Hospital bed usage has been falling for almost a month. And the state has a plentiful supply of vaccine, with walk-up opportunities available at scores of locations, including mass-vaccination sites and pharmacies.

“The Maryland Chamber of Commerce is thrilled businesses can fully open their doors and bring Marylanders back to work with these eased restrictions,” Chamber Vice President Andrew Griffin said in an email.

“We align with the governor in following CDC recommendations and encourage the public to get vaccinated so Maryland can continue along the path of economic recovery.”

The only restriction that Hogan is retaining is the mandate to wear masks inside businesses. That requirement will be lifted when Maryland reaches the federal goal of 70% adults receiving at least one dose of a vaccine, he said.

“President Biden set the goal of trying to get things back to normal by the Fourth of July; here in Maryland, our plan is to get everything back to normal by Memorial Day,” the governor said.

Hogan said people who have yet to get vaccinated were slowing the state’s return to full economic activity and social interaction — and putting themselves and their loved ones at risk.

Anne Arundel and Harford counties announced immediately that they will lift restrictions in line with Hogan’s order.

“After consulting with our Health Officer, we have decided to follow the State’s lead,” Anne Arundel Executive Steuart Pittman (D) said in a statement.

“We believe that our low case rates will continue through the summer, but the only effective way to prevent a fall surge in cases will be a summer surge in vaccinations.”

Prince George’s County announced a hybrid approach, some businesses allowed to reopen at 100% capacity and others at 50%.

The governor’s actions mean sports teams can return to full capacity if they choose to, but it does not require them to do so.

In a May 4 letter to season-ticket holders, Ravens president Dick Cass wrote, “[W]e are optimistic that we will have a full stadium of fans this season.”

“We will continue to work diligently with state and local agencies to prepare to host fans safely,” he added. “To achieve our goal of a full stadium, we encourage everyone in our community to get vaccinated and continue following the best practices recommended by public health authorities.

The Orioles are expected to announce a stadium policy next week. It could not immediately be learned on Wednesday how the Washington Football Team will respond.

The governor said Maryland’s NFL teams “are both very anxious to be at 100% in the fall.”

The annual Preakness Stakes, which will be run on Saturday, was authorized to go to 50% capacity but opted for 10%. Hogan said he did not expect the Maryland Jockey Club, which owns Pimlico Race Course, to change its policy on short notice.

“Next year, hopefully, we’ll have it full again,” he said.

The cruise terminal in Baltimore will reopen soon, Hogan said. The CDC is working with the nation’s ports and the industry on protocols allowing passengers to cruise again.

The governor said the state Department of Labor will petition the federal government to reinstate a work-search requirement for people receiving unemployment insurance benefits.

Those requirements were suspended early in the pandemic, as business owners shed workers and job opportunities were scarce.

But now, some employers — in Ocean City and elsewhere — report having difficulty finding workers, Hogan said.

“It’s not just anecdotal. There are some people that have made the decision to stay home and to collect unemployment rather than returning to work,” he said. “We hear that every day from hundreds of people.”

The Maryland Center on Economic Policy, a progressive advocacy organization, called the reinstatement of work-search requirements “an additional obstacle for people who are out of work and an additional administrative burden” for the agency that administers benefits.

“It is premature to begin reinstating work search requirements for people relying on unemployment payments, putting at risk the economic support that has been keeping families afloat,” said Kali Schumitz, the center’s director of communications, in a statement.

“While the situation is rapidly evolving, data suggest that there are still far more job-seekers than available jobs.”

Asked whether he would join other GOP-led states in cutting expanded unemployment benefits, Hogan said Maryland would not.

“There are some people who really have been trying to find work and do need those benefits and Maryland’s cost of living is higher than a lot of those other states,” Hogan said. “At this point, we think we’re taking the steps that we need to take.”

By Bruce DePuyt

As ‘Big 8’ Leaders Debate Hogan’s Re-Opening Order, Top Expert Calls it ‘Premature’

March 11, 2021 by Maryland Matters Leave a Comment

Local leaders representing nearly 80% of Maryland’s population held a conference call on Wednesday to discuss Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr.’s decision to lift most limits on commerce and social gatherings.

The Republican governor’s decision — announced Tuesday — came as a surprise to most, if not all, members of the so-called “Big 8,” a group that includes the leaders of the seven largest counties and Baltimore City.

Now they are trying to decide what their legal options are — and whether to heed Hogan’s call to shed the restrictions that were imposed over the last 12 months to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Two leaders announced after the meeting that they will follow the state’s lead, joining Harford County, which embraced the lifting of restrictions immediately.

But a top public health expert called Hogan’s decision “premature.”

Joshua M. Sharfstein, vice dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said it would have been wiser to wait until the state’s vaccination program is further along and more is known about COVID-19 variants.

“There’s still a fair amount of virus in Maryland,” Sharfstein said in an interview. “That’s why some of the easing of restrictions before people are vaccinated seems premature.”

“We’re so close to getting a huge surge of vaccinations in this state and in this country,” he added. “I think it’s better to go step-by-step, rather than one gigantic leap.”

Hogan’s order lifts restrictions on dining, houses of worship, fitness centers, casinos and other venues, effective at 5 p.m. on Friday. Also Friday, the state will allow 50% capacity at larger venues like Camden Yards, conference centers, theaters, wedding halls, horse tracks, etc.

The state’s broad mask order and distancing requirements remain in effect.

The governor’s order also repeals the authority of local governments to impose stricter limits on commerce and social interaction by piggybacking on the state’s emergency powers — though they can potentially do so under their own authority.

The wording of that portion of the order confused local political leaders and the Maryland Association of Counties, and it sent county attorneys scrambling to determine what new framework might be needed.

On Tuesday, Hogan insisted that local subdivisions retained the right to keep tighter restrictions in place, but he urged them to “get in line” with the expanded freedoms.

The issue is moot in counties like Harford, where Executive Barry Glassman (R) announced immediately that he will open his economy to align with the governor’s orders on Friday.

But in the other Big 8 subdivisions, all run by Democrats, the rush to the law books has been a matter of urgency.

Montgomery County Executive Marc B. Elrich (D) panned Hogan’s action. In an interview, he said opening restaurants around the state “will trigger another spike” in infections.

“It’s a serious mistake,” Elrich (D) said. “It’s flat-out not safe. It’s the one place where masks come off. Under no scenario are restaurants a good idea.”

Hogan’s order does not allow bar patrons to stand. And it requires that restaurant tables be socially distanced.

Those mandates will blunt the impact of the governor’s action, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman (D) predicted.

“What really protects people is the distancing requirements,” he said. “It’s going to keep restaurants well below 100% capacity, because normally their tables are much closer together.”

Pittman called it unlikely that there will be a “big public health impact” from allowing more people to dine in restaurants. He also said the impact on revenues will also be muted.

“It’s sort of a nothing-burger,” he said.

Baltimore County Executive John A. Olszewski Jr. (D) told reporters on Wednesday that “leaders in local government neither had a seat at the table… nor any advance notice.”

He said his team is “actively exploring” the meaning of the state’s order, the county’s “legal options,” and the latest pandemic data to determine whether it’s time to reopen.

In lifting restrictions on Tuesday, Hogan pointed to the state’s improving health metrics, including its low positivity rate, along with the expansion in the vaccination program. The governor’s new health adviser, Robert Redfield, the former head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under President Trump, said he supported Hogan’s actions.

Sharfstein, the public health expert at Hopkins — and a former state Health secretary under Gov. Martin J. O’Malley (D) — said it was disappointing to read in the media that local leaders were “blindsided” by the governor’s decision.

“These decisions should be coordinated among different levels of government,” he said.

Aides to Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) and Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott (D) said they were trying to determine what power they retain and what their legal options are. Frederick County Executive Jan M. Gardner (D) is expected to discuss Hogan’s order and its impact on the county at her weekly COVID-19 briefing Thursday.

Although some counties — including Montgomery — are virtually certain to seek to maintain at least some restrictions on commerce, Pittman announced late Wednesday that Anne Arundel “will align with new state policy.”

He will sign a new executive order retaining the current limits on social gathering, 10 persons indoors and 25 persons outdoors, by Friday, his office said.

“I don’t have much appetite, this late in the battle, to fight this one,” he said.

Pittman will insist on limited gatherings because — without them — “a lot of people will think it’s time to have parties again.”

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball III (D) announced late Wednesday that his jurisdiction will also align with the state on reopenings, effective Friday at 5 p.m.

In a news release, Ball said that the county’s coronavirus metrics have improved significantly from a post-holiday spike.

“We will continue watching our data very closely over the next two weeks, and if aligning with the Governor’s decision is detrimental to the health and welfare of our residents, we will not hesitate to reimpose restrictions,” he said.

By Bruce DePuyt

As Md. Moves Into Its Second COVID-19 Surge, Hogan Lays Out A Slew Of Emergency Actions

November 18, 2020 by Maryland Matters Leave a Comment

Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) issued a series of COVID-19 restrictions Tuesday afternoon, following the state’s quick entry into the pandemic’s second surge.

“This virus has been with us for so long that too many of us have become numb to the staggering, spiking numbers that are being announced every day,” Hogan said at a Tuesday news conference. “It does not matter how well we have done for all these months. If we falter now and if we fail to take this seriously, we will look just like all those other states and this deadly virus will strengthen its grip on our state and our nation.”

Effective 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20, every establishment that serves food and alcohol, including bars and restaurants, will be unable to perform indoor dining services from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Bars must continue to prohibit standing and crowding. Restaurant and bar patrons are still required to stand six feet apart, and no more than six people may be seated together at a table.

Carryout food and alcoholic beverage services are still permitted.

“This order carries the full force of the law and it will be enforced,” Hogan asserted.

Also effective Friday at 5 p.m., all retail businesses, religious institutions, bingo halls, bowling alleys, roller and ice skating rinks, fitness centers, pool halls and social clubs will only be allowed to function at 50% capacity. Masks, sanitization and distancing guidelines are to be enforced.

Additionally, sports fans will no longer be allowed to sit in the stands at racetracks or collegiate and professional stadiums.

Hogan stressed that the state’s mask mandate remains “in full force and effect” at all public indoor facilities including grocery stores, pharmacies, gyms, retail establishments, in public places of public and private businesses and on public transportation.

“This very simple step of wearing masks continues to be the single best mitigation strategy that we have to fight the virus,” he said. “This is not a political issue ― it’s not a limitation on your right to infect other people ― but it is the best way to keep you and your family members safe, to keep people out of the hospital and to save lives.”

‘We are in a war right now’

“The sad reality is that all across America, more people are getting infected with COVID-19,” said Hogan.

And Maryland is no exception.

According to the governor, the state has consistently seen over 1,000 newly confirmed cases in the last 13 days, with this past Saturday documenting the most confirmed cases ever seen in one day. Maryland’s seven-day positivity rate has shot up to 6.85% ― well over a 5% warning threshold ― and 20 of the state’s 24 jurisdictions have followed that trend.

Hospitalizations are on the rise, too.

Tuesday, the state saw 1,046 people hospitalized for the virus, 255 of which are in the ICU. That is the highest hospitalization rate since June 7.

Nearly 20 hospitals across the state have reached over 90% capacity. Hospitals in western Maryland have already reached their full capacity.

“Even with the additional 6,000 beds that we provided for in our hospital surge plan, Maryland hospitals are now reaching capacity,” the governor said. “All of this requires additional, immediate actions to prevent the over-burdening of our healthcare system and to stop more Marylanders from dying.”

To protect healthcare workers and slow the spread, the Maryland Department of Health issued an emergency order Tuesday barring hospital visitors except for the parents or guardians of minors, those in compassionate care, obstetric services and supporters of people with disabilities. The agency has also advised hospitals to avoid performing non-urgent or elective surgeries if possible.

Additionally, the Department of Health has issued an order allowing hospitals nearing or at their full capacity to transfer patients to hospitals with vacancies and appropriate resources.

Dr. Tom Scalea, physician and chief of shock trauma at the University of Maryland Medical Center, said at the Tuesday news conference that hospitals who needed to go “critical care bed shopping” generally looked inward at their own hospital systems for help, “ignoring available beds that maybe exist actually relatively close to them.”

“Now a single phone call will give them access to the appropriate level of critical care services,” he explained. “This is, of course, based on a principle that everybody’s going to cooperate [and] play ball.”

“I’m sure that will be the case.”

In an effort to protect more vulnerable populations, Hogan has restricted visitation to nursing homes. Indoor visits will now only be allowed for compassionate care patients, and all visitors must provide documentation of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of their visit.

“I realize this is very difficult, especially at this time of year,” Hogan explained, “but please know that by refraining from visits at this time, you are helping keep them safe and to save the lives of our most vulnerable.”

Additionally, the Department of Health will begin to require nursing home staff to be tested twice a week. Residents will be tested once a week.

Pensively, Hogan recalled a press conference early on in the pandemic when he announced the state’s first COVID-19 related death.

“I’ll never forget back on March 19, when it was my sad duty to report the very first coronavirus death in our state,” he remembered.

Now Maryland reports 4,186 deaths ― 26 of which occurred on Monday, alone.

“That’s more than one [person] dying every hour in Maryland,” said the governor, adding that more Marylanders have died of COVID-19 this year than one year’s worth of people lost to “car accidents, gun violence and the flu combined.”

Hogan addressed members of the public who may choose not to believe reports from news outlets or the Department of Health about the gravity of the pandemic.

“Regardless of all the disinformation that’s being spread all over social media, this is not the flu,” he said. “It’s not fake news. It’s not going to magically disappear just because we’re all tired of it and we want our normal lives back.”

“We are in a war right now, and the virus is winning.”

By Hannah Gaskill

As COVID Cases Rise Into ‘Danger Zone,’ Hogan Tightens Restrictions

November 11, 2020 by Maryland Matters Leave a Comment

As the number of Marylanders with COVID-19 continues to rise and the state crossed warning thresholds set by the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) reduced dine-in capacity for bars and restaurants, issued new guidance to avoid out-of-state travel, encouraged telework and asserted that a coronavirus surge could be in Maryland’s future.

Maryland has had seven straight days with more than 1,000 new cases. The state has crossed over into a “danger zone,” Hogan said.

“Too many residents and businesses have COVID fatigue, and they began letting their guard down. Too many Marylanders are traveling out of state to unsafe locations, hosting large gatherings, crowding in bars, attending house parties, and refusing to wear masks. Too many businesses are failing to comply with the state regulations and orders. And counties with the primary responsibility for ensuring compliance of the law and enforcing public health regulations are in some cases failing to do so,” Hogan said during a State House news conference Tuesday evening. “Sadly, as a result, the virus has returned to our state in a big way.”

On Monday, for the first time since June 25, Maryland’s 7-day statewide positive COVID-19 test rate crossed over a 5% benchmark ― one of several metrics that can be used to monitor the spread of COVID ― set by the CDC and WHO.

Ten Maryland counties and the city of Baltimore had positive test rates above that benchmark on Tuesday. The counties are: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Charles, Dorchester, Garrett, Harford, Queen Anne’s, Somerset and Washington.

Several jurisdictions are also in the federal government’s “red zone” for COVID-19 case rates. There are more than 20 cases per 100,000 residents in seven jurisdictions: the city of Baltimore and Allegany, Washington, Baltimore, Harford, Anne Arundel and Somerset counties.

On Tuesday morning, the state reported 1,338 new COVID-19 cases. At least 761 Marylanders ― an increase of 54 people since Monday ― were hospitalized, including 176 patients in intensive care. Nationwide, coronavirus hospitalizations surged to a record high on Monday with more than 59,000 patients.

The state reported 12 deaths on Tuesday morning. At least 4,084 Marylanders have died from the virus since March.

Through executive order and directives, the Hogan administration on Tuesday re-imposed or reinforced public health restrictions in an effort to curtail an ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases:

Effective Wednesday at 5 p.m., the capacity for indoor operations at bars and restaurants will be reduced to 50%, with service only for customers who are seated and socially distanced, plus other precautions.
The health department issued a new public health advisory strongly warning against any indoor gatherings of 25 people or more.
The health department expanded an advisory against all out-of-state travel. Marylanders are strongly advised to avoid all nonessential travel to any state with a positivity rate above 10% or an average case rate of 20 cases per 100,000 residents. Thirty-five states have a case rate over 20, and eight states have a positivity rate over 10%.
Effective immediately, all state employees who are approved to telework must once again do so. Private employers are encouraged to increase telework and do everything possible to increase distancing among employees who must be physically present.
The state health department is also activating the next level of planning to increase hospital surge capacity by adding space in temporary hospital facilities and providing additional staffing support to nursing homes.
New guidance from the health department says that all visitors to nursing homes should be tested for the virus, that gatherings should be avoided and that nursing homes should create stockpiles of protective equipment.

Hogan said contact tracing data continues to show that gatherings of family and friends are the most common source of viral spread, with increasing numbers of newly infected Marylanders indicating they recently ate in a restaurant or work outside of the home.

Hogan did not move back from “Phase 3” in the state’s recovery plan, which allows all businesses to be open with some restrictions. For now, the additional steps and stronger enforcement of existing precautions reflect the state’s infection and contact tracing data, but more restrictions could become necessary if cases continue to rise, Hogan said.

“We do not want to take actions that will further burden our struggling small businesses, or actions to shut down our economy,” Hogan said. “Our primary goals continue to be keeping our hospitals from overflowing and stopping more Marylanders from dying.”

Counties are able to move more slowly in the reopening plan, based on local conditions, and some have.

Over the weekend, the leaders from Maryland’s six largest jurisdictions sent Hogan a letter urging a statewide tightening of restrictions.

“Our residents do not live their lives confined within the borders of our counties – so our efforts to contain this deadly virus should not either,” the leaders wrote. “We want to partner with you in the effort to crush the curve and beat this virus.”

But, the leaders wrote that as recently as Oct. 22, Hogan criticized them for not moving forward with lifting Phase 3 restrictions and that he had not participated in a statewide conference call with county leaders in 169 days.

At the press conference, Hogan said the same county leaders had not raised their concerns during meetings held every-other-week with his state leadership team. And Hogan noted that some of those leaders, all Democrats, have higher political ambitions.

Hogan also said that it is the counties that need to do more to help curb the spread, including by more strictly enforcing capacity limits at bars and restaurants.

Some jurisdictions have recently implemented stronger precautions, including Montgomery and Allegany counties and the city of Baltimore.

Cases in the rural Allegany County are escalating at a rate that is nearly three times the state average. A state testing site will begin operating in the county on Wednesday.

The Allegany County Board of County Commissioners announced that they would impose additional restrictions, including reducing capacity of bars, restaurants, fitness and recreation centers and other retail businesses to 50 percent. The county office building will be accessible by appointment only.

In Baltimore City, Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young moved the city back into Phase 1, the most restrictive phase of economic closures after case rates and positive test rates in the city more than doubled in the past two weeks.

Statewide, there have been two peaks in COVID cases so far ― on April 30, when there were 1,711 hospitalizations, and on Aug. 1, when there were 592 hospitalizations.

A third rise began in mid-October.

Baltimore County Executive John A. Olszewski Jr. (D) issued a statement in response to Hogan’s press conference saying that “statewide solutions remain the most effective public health actions” and that the county will follow metrics to determine if any additional actions are needed.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) tweeted that he strongly supported the plan to reimpose public health measures to stop the spread.

“Virus increasing too quickly. All of us must take action to keep all of us safe,” Ferguson tweeted. “Our regular reminder ― public health = economic health.”

During the Tuesday press conference, Hogan also confirmed that Maryland Department of Health Secretary Robert R. Neall will retire from state government, effective Dec. 1.

Hogan described Neall as “a long-time friend for decades and who’s done an incredible job leading a wonderful team of people throughout this crisis.”

The retirement was announced at an emergency cabinet meeting Tuesday. Hogan said he could offer no further details Tuesday evening.

Fran Phillips, the state’s longtime public health chief, retired during the summer.

By Danielle E. Gaines

One by One, County Leaders Put Brakes on Hogan’s Reopening

May 15, 2020 by Maryland Matters

Three weeks ago, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) said a regional reopening of the state’s economy risked a spike in Maryland’s COVID-19 caseload.

“You could possibly do things in different regions or different parts of the state,” he told reporters at an April 20 news conference. “But what we don’t want is to have one place open, everybody rushes over there and then infects that county.”

With several of Maryland’s largest counties and the City of Baltimore declining to embrace the governor’s move to Stage 1 of the “Roadmap to Recovery” Friday, the state is — for all intents and purposes — moving into the sort of regional reopening that Hogan warned against.

A public health expert said on Thursday that the state will discover in roughly two weeks (COVID-19’s incubation period) whether the move was wise.

Pushback from local leaders on Hogan’s decision to replace Maryland’s “stay-at-home” order with a “safer-at-home” guideline began within hours of his announcement on Wednesday — and it accelerated on Thursday, as local leaders from Maryland’s largest counties and Baltimore City declared, one after another, that they will keep in place restrictions on commerce and social interaction.

Hogan’s order, which takes effect Friday evening, effectively shifts responsibility for managing the crisis to local leaders, many of whom lack the staff resources and access to experts that the governor enjoys, political leaders and health experts said.

There were also questions about whether Maryland has met the health criteria Hogan has for weeks said were essential to loosening restrictions.

“It’s … put the ‘Big 7’ or the ‘Big 8’ in a tough spot, to have to make their own decisions,” said a Democratic official, referring to the large county executives and the mayor of Baltimore.

“The local governments, the county executives have the least amount of staff to be able to figure out the health implications and everything else,” said the official, who would speak candidly only on the condition of anonymity. “Honestly, a countywide basis is kind of silly.”

Montgomery County Executive Marc B. Elrich (D) was one of several local leaders to keep existing restrictions on social interaction and business activity in place.

Montgomery’s coronavirus case load — the second highest in the state — and other key metrics “have not changed enough” to reopen on Hogan’s timeline, he told reporters outside the county administration building in Rockville Thursday.

Elrich also cast doubt on the wisdom of Hogan’s decision.

“I think he went farther than he probably should have right now,” he said. “I think he should have waited until the cases were at least on a downturn for some period of time, so that you knew that you had more control over the virus than we have right now.”

Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) is also keeping current restrictions.

She said Prince George’s, which has the highest caseload in Maryland, has been hampered by a lack of support from the state.

“We need the state to do its part,” she told reporters. “At this point, we do not have it. We do not have gowns that we have needed. We do not have enough PPE. We don’t have enough tests to expand the capacity for what we need. We don’t have enough contact tracers. And these are metrics that were set out by the governor.”

Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young (D) announced an extension of Baltimore City’s “stay-at-home” order on Thursday, saying it would be “irresponsible” to allow more commerce and interaction until the crisis subsides and testing increases.

“As I have said from the beginning of this state of emergency, we are going to follow the data and listen to what our public health experts are telling us – and right now, they are saying it is still too soon to reopen,” Young said in statement.

Currently the city is able to test 570 residents per day, he said. Under World Health Organization guidelines, the city should test approximately 2,700 residents.

“Without more testing capacity, it would be irresponsible to begin the reopening process,” the mayor said.

Baltimore County Executive John A. Olszewski Jr. (D) declared on Thursday that most restrictions will remain in effect.

“After examining the available data and consulting with our public health team, it’s clear that we are not yet in a position to safely move toward a significant reopening,” he said.

Gatherings of 10 people or more are prohibited, malls must remain closed, and churches and beauty salons remain off-limits. Retail stores can utilize curbside pickup, he said, and the “vast majority” of manufacturing firms can reopen as long as they follow guidelines to protect workers.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman (D) and Howard County Executive Calvin Ball (D) made announcements in line with Olszewski’s.

Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner (D) opted for “a phase-in of the phase-in.”

All retailers in Frederick will be allowed to use curbside pickup, manufacturing plants can open, and small retail shops can open at 50% capacity as long as an employee is stationed at the door and customers wear masks.

In addition, pet adoption, car washes and pet grooming can resume.

She noted that many Frederick residents work outside the county and expressed a concern about increased movement.

In Ocean City, Maryland’s top tourist town, Mayor Richard W. Meehan took a different approach, lifting the town’s restriction on hotel bookings and short-term rentals, effective immediately.

“We encourage residents and visitors to follow health and safety guidelines, including physical distancing and gathering limits,” he said.

“Personal responsibility and individual comfort levels are incredibly important to exercise during each phase of recovery.”

Moving the goalposts?

For weeks leading up to Wednesday’s announcement, Hogan described the foundation that Maryland would need to see before it could safely start to reopen, and on Thursday there are questions about whether the state had hit those targets.

As recently as late April, Hogan said the state needed to see a two-week decline in hospitalizations and ICU use before Phase 1 could be considered.

“The federal guidelines issued by the president last week call for states to meet specific gating metrics before considering lifting restrictions. That includes a 14-day downward trend in key numbers,” Hogan told reporters on April 24.

“We’ve had a couple of days of things that look better, but a couple of days, three days does not make a trend. Right? We need like 14 days,” he added.

At the same press event, Dr. Tom Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a top Hogan adviser, offered reinforcement.

“At this point, for the state to move forward in easing social distancing in a lower risk way, there needs to be a period of declining hospitalization and ICU stays and deaths from COVID in Maryland,” he said.

But the latest numbers — including an analysis shared with Maryland Matters — show little evidence of a sustained decline.

The data do show a leveling off. And in recent days, Hogan has spoken less of a need for a steady “decline” and more of a “plateauing.”

New hospitalizations averaged 158 for the week ending May 7, higher than the week before, when there were, on average, 155 per day. For the most recent seven-day period, the state averaged 127 new hospitalizations per day.
ICU utilization has remained in a narrow band over the last two weeks — between 563 and 611 beds. On the day Hogan announced the start of reopening, there were 569 ICU beds in use.
As Hogan spoke Wednesday, Maryland was seeing a spike in new cases, 1,091, up from 751 and 688 the two days prior.
Also on Wednesday, the state saw a spike in its “positivity rate,” 22.4%, up from 16.2%, 14.6% and 18.4% the three days prior.
“Because we’ve plateaued doesn’t mean we’ve started on a downward curve,” said Elrich.

A noted public health expert who declined to be quoted by name said “there has been a moving of goal posts.”

Hogan “set some very high standards originally — declining hospitalizations, declining number of cases, declining infections,” the expert said. “I don’t think we’ve met all that. It’s kind of been shaded. ‘It’s generally gone down.’”

In a letter to Hogan Thursday, the presiding officers of the General Assembly, House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) and Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), asked Hogan to provide more data to justify his decision for partially reopening the state.

“Many of the actions you have taken throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency undoubtedly have saved the lives of countless Marylanders, and we appreciate your efforts,” the lawmakers wrote. “While your early actions should be applauded, we have concerns about your plan to reopen Maryland without first understanding and having access to the data guiding those decision points.”

Ferguson and Jones went on to ask 15 specific questions of the governing, requesting a response by May 20.

Hogan has been under pressure for weeks from business groups, Republicans in the General Assembly and U.S. Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R) to ease back on social and business restrictions. The group Reopen Maryland formed several weeks ago, held one protest in Annapolis and has another planned for Friday.

“The problem is, all these indicators are lagging indicators,” said the public health official. “There’s a two- to three-week lag between when you open things up and when you’re going to see cases go back up.”

‘Open’ counties may be a temptation

Elrich said counties that follow the governor’s guidance can expect to see lots of visitors from neighboring jurisdictions that keep current restrictions in place.

“I do worry about things opening up in other jurisdictions and people going there because they can do things,” he said. “If you think about some of the rates in the D.C. metropolitan area, I frankly don’t think you want residents from here going to places where there aren’t restrictions.”

Elrich said Maryland’s big-county executives intend to act in unison. But a municipal official wondered how long that unity can withstand pressure from business owners and groups like Reopen Maryland.

“It’s a massive shift in responsibility to the locals,” said the official. That includes the responsibility not only for decision-making but communicating effectively with the public without the media platform the governor can command, the person said.

Supplies lacking in Prince George’s

Michael Ricci, a spokesman for the governor, told Maryland Matters the state has never received a request for PPE from Prince George’s County.

But Alsobrooks’ aides quickly produced an April 26 letter from the executive to Steve Schuh, Hogan’s liaison with local governments during the COVID-19 crisis, making the case for additional hospital capacity, testing, contact tracing and PPE.

“I appreciate the fact that the State has many requests for support, but since we continue to lead the State in the number of positive cases and hospitalizations, we ask that our requests be prioritized,” Alsobrooks wrote to Schuh, a former Anne Arundel County executive.

“These requests are critical to stopping the spread of the virus in our County, flattening the curve in our State and successfully navigating through the Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery plan proposed by the Governor.”

Speaking Thursday at Alsobrooks’ news conference in Hyattsville, U.S. Rep. Anthony G. Brown (D) said Maryland has “fallen behind” in testing and he called on Hogan to “quickly” deploy needed test kits to Prince George’s County.

“This is a commitment the governor has made repeatedly and now he needs to deliver,” Brown said.

“We rank 27th in the country for per capita testing, and the positive daily infection rate is still in the double digits,” he added. On Wednesday, “Maryland was second highest in the nation. Scientists say this simply means we are not testing enough.”

By Bruce DePuyt

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