State Pauses Reopening, Reaches Critical Turning Point In Fight Against COVID-19
Governor Larry Hogan today announced, based on the state’s data-driven approach, the expansion of the statewide masking order and a public health advisory for all out-of-state travel. The governor also unveiled contact tracing data showing that family gatherings are the most common high-risk gathering and working outside the home is the most common high-risk location for COVID-19.
A recent increase in hospitalizations has triggered a ‘stop sign’ in the ‘Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery,’ calling for a pause in further reopening plans.
“We find ourselves at a fork in the road—a critical turning point where we could either continue making progress and continue heading in the right direction, or we could ignore the warnings and spike back up like much of the rest of the country,” said Governor Hogan. “We are doing much better on our health metrics than most of the rest of the country, and we are doing much better on our economic recovery than most of the rest of the country, and we want to do what it takes to keep it that way. We have come too far together to lose the progress that we have made on the road to health and economic recovery here in Maryland.”
Under this order, which takes effect Friday, July 31 at 5:00 p.m., all Marylanders over the age of five are required to wear face coverings in the public spaces of all businesses across the state.
Face coverings will also be required in outdoor public areas, whenever it is not possible to maintain physical distancing. The expanded order continues to provide certain exceptions, including for medical conditions. Read the governor’s order.
OUT-OF-STATE TRAVEL ADVISORY. Governor Hogan has directed the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) to issue a public health advisory for out-of-state travel. Under this advisory, Marylanders are strongly advised against traveling to states with positivity rates of 10% or higher. Anyone traveling from these states should get tested and self-quarantine while awaiting results.
This public health advisory—which takes effect immediately—applies to personal, family, or business travel of any kind. Marylanders are advised to postpone or cancel travel to these areas until their positivity rates decline.
As of today, this advisory applies to Florida, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, Arizona, Alabama, South Carolina, Nebraska, and Idaho. Read the travel advisory.
CONTACT TRACING DATA. In addition to identifying individuals who may have been infected with COVID-19, Maryland is now using contact tracing data to find patterns of behavior, and to identify where and how the virus is spreading. The governor announced the following findings based on recent interviews conducted with COVID-19 patients:
- Higher-Risk Gatherings (Percentage of Interviewed Cases):
- Family Gatherings – 44%
- House Parties – 23%
- Outdoor Event – 21%
- Higher-Risk Locations (Percentage of Interviewed Cases):
- Work Outside the Home – 54%
- Indoor/Retail Shopping – 39%
- Indoor Dining at Restaurant – 23%
- Outdoor Dining at Restaurant – 23%
- Employment Information (Percentage of Interviewed Cases):
- Health care – 25%
- Other – Non-public Facing – 23%
- Other – Public Facing – 13%
- Restaurant/Food Service – 12%
FRAN PHILLIPS TO RETIRE, DR. JINLENE CHAN TO BECOME ACTING DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES. Governor Hogan announced that Fran Phillips, Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services at MDH, is retiring after a 33-year career in public health. Deputy Secretary Phillips has led the state’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue to advise the governor and state officials.
Dr. Jinlene Chan, currently Assistant Secretary and Chief Medical Officer, will serve as Acting Deputy Secretary of Public Health Services. Dr. Chan has served on the front lines of Maryland’s coronavirus response, leading the state’s testing task force for the past five months.
Prior to joining MDH, Dr. Chan served as the Health Officer for Anne Arundel County, where she developed and implemented initiatives to combat the opioid epidemic, improve the behavioral health care system, and address infant health and chronic disease outcomes. She completed her residencies in pediatrics and general preventive medicine at Johns Hopkins University, and holds a Master of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.
For coronavirus resources from the Maryland Department of Health, visit coronavirus.maryland.gov.
