Will Meet With Full Cabinet, Long-Term Community Leaders Tomorrow
Governor Larry Hogan today announced that state officials have identified an additional case of novel coronavirus in the State of Maryland. The state’s sixth confirmed case is a Prince George’s County resident who contracted the virus during out-of-state travel.
According to an initial investigation by the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), there appear to be no major concerns over exposure risk to the community and there is no connection to the previous positive cases. MDH has notified Prince George’s County officials. This is the county’s first confirmed case.
“With the confirmation of a sixth case of novel coronavirus in our state, I want to again assure Marylanders that all levels of government are working together to respond to the COVID-19 threat in a cooperative and coordinated manner,” said Governor Hogan. “We remain committed to bringing the full resources of state government to bear in order to protect our citizens and mitigate the spread of this virus.”
Earlier today, Governor Hogan signed emergency legislation granting him the authority to tap into the state’s rainy day fund, announced the formation of a Coronavirus Response Team that will advise the administration on important health and emergency management decisions as this situation continues to evolve, and announced new guidance for state employees that includes suspending all business-related out-of-state travel. Watch the video of today’s press conference.
Tomorrow, Governor Hogan will convene a meeting of his full Cabinet to discuss Maryland’s government-wide response to COVID-19. Additionally, he will meet with representatives of the long-term care community to ensure that the necessary precautions are being taken to protect residents of nursing homes and retirement communities.
Maryland is currently operating under a state of emergency, and the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) has elevated its state response activation level. At the governor’s direction, state agencies have ramped up response and preparedness efforts across all levels of government. He has also issued a directive requiring state health carriers to waive all cost-sharing regarding testing for COVID-19. Read the list of ongoing state actions here
