Governor Hogan increases enforcement and education to help Maryland stop the spread of COVID
Governor Hogan held a press conference today at 4 pm. He announced the dramatic increases in the number of COVID cases in Maryland. 4293 Marylanders have died from COVID, joining over 256,000 nationwide. More people have died from COVID than have died from drunk driving.
Maryland is better prepared than most states to withstand the surge because of the testing ability the state has. Saturday 51K tests were completed in the state. Maryland has used over 394,000 tests that Governor Hogan was able to get from South Korea. There are 330 testing sites across the state. Maryland is continuing to add testing sites and hours to respond to increasing demand. Testing has made it clear that there is widespread community transmission across the state. In Maryland alone, there1658 cases in 24 hours; 142,000 new cases across the US yesterday.
Governor Hogan is NOT asking for more restrictions, he is asking for every Marylander to take this virus seriously. He asks every Marylander to wear masks, wash hands, and keep your distance.
Hogan has started a Compliance, Education, and Enforcement task force. Starting Wednesday, there will be many more state troopers deployed to investigate violations of the Governor’s Executive Orders. These high visibility compliance units will be deployed in Salisbury and across the state.
In addition, the state has created compliance hotlines to report violations and unsafe practices.
Please call 833-979-2266 or email prevent.covid@maryland.gov to report any concerns.
Governor Hogan said that Marylanders have so much to be thankful for. He said that he was thankful for the frontline healthcare hero; for the scientists who are helping us understand and treat this virus; and the continued strength and resilience of the residents of our great state.
Governor Hogan asks Marylanders to support our restaurants. The Executive Director of the Restaurant Association of Maryland discussed the value of restaurants in our communities. He asked Marylanders to support restaurants, bars, and all small businesses during the holidays. We need to buy from them over the next several weeks if we want to be sure that they are still in business at the end of this COVID crisis.
Reminder: Please wear your masks, wash your hands, and socially distance. With everyone working together, restaurants and businesses will remain open and be ready to welcome you again.
ALL COVID INFORMATION FROM MARYLAND AVAILABLE HERE
