COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland
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COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
was confirmed to have reached the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
in March 2020. The first three cases of the virus were reported in Montgomery County on March 5, 2020. , the
Maryland Department of Health The Maryland Department of Health is an agency of the government of Maryland responsible for public health issues. The Department is headed by a Secretary who is a member of the Executive Council/Cabinet of the Governor of Maryland. Currently t ...
(MDH) reported 1,303,829 positive cases, 15,575 confirmed deaths, and 4,914,005 are fully vaccinated with the primary vaccination series. County fully vaccinated rates range from 93% in Montgomery County to 52% in Somerset County.


Timeline

In late January 2020, Maryland hospitals began travel screening for coronavirus when taking in new patients entering the emergency room. State health officials announced on January 30, 2020, that the first person tested in Maryland for the novel coronavirus did not have the virus. Fran Phillips, deputy state health secretary for public health services, stated that the risk for Maryland residents of contracting the virus remained low. Maryland medical facilities, educational institutions, and businesses disseminated guidance from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...
(CDC).
Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university h ...
stated that a professor would not return to classes while a family member was tested. On March 5, Governor Larry Hogan confirmed the first three cases of coronavirus in Montgomery County: one married couple in their 70s and an unrelated woman in her 50s. All three patients were on the same
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on the Nile River in
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. Upon their return, one of the patients traveled to suburban
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, meeting with students. This prompted the
Pennsylvania Department of Health Pennsylvania Department of Health is a cabinet-level agency in Pennsylvania. Secretaries See also * Health department * List of Pennsylvania state agencies State related agencies of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Agencies *Pennsylvania A ...
and Central Bucks School District to temporarily close three schools in that district to undergo cleaning. Another patient visited The Village at Rockville retirement community for an event that had between 70 and 100 people. Attendees of the event were told to monitor their temperature and call their physician or the
Maryland Emergency Management Agency Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM). is the department of the Maryland state government with primary responsibility and authority for emergency preparedness policy, and for coordinating hazard mitigation, incident response, and di ...
if they began to exhibit symptoms. All three patients had fully recovered by March 12. Hogan declared a state of emergency after announcing the state's first positive tests. By March 12, twelve cases of coronavirus had been confirmed in Maryland — two remained hospitalized and three had recovered. Importantly, Maryland confirmed the state's first known case of community transmission in a Prince George's County resident with no known exposure to coronavirus through travel or an infected individual. The first case of community transmission indicates that "we are entering a new phase of working to mitigate and limit the spread of this pandemic," reported Hogan. On March 12, Karen Salmon, Maryland's Superintendent of Schools, announced that all public schools would be closed for two weeks beginning March 16. Hogan raised the state's emergency activation system to activate the
Maryland National Guard The Maryland Military Department (MMD) is a department of the State of Maryland directed by the adjutant general of Maryland. The Maryland Military Department consists of the: *State Operations section, which manages fiscal and administrative du ...
and banned gatherings of more than 250 people. The National Guard was activated to a higher state of readiness. Hogan delegated routine state government operations to Lieutenant Governor
Boyd Rutherford Boyd Kevin Rutherford (born April 1, 1957) is an American politician, businessman and attorney serving as the ninth lieutenant governor of Maryland since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Rutherford was nominated by President George W. Bu ...
so he could allocate more time to combating the virus. Hogan ordered all of the state's casinos, racetracks, and off-track betting to cease operations on March 15, with the shutdown beginning on March 16 at 12:01 am. In addition, Hogan also warned in a statement that bars and restaurants are to follow the ban of gatherings of over 250 people in advance of St. Patrick's Day celebrations. He stated that if any bar or restaurant failed to comply with the restrictions set, they would be charged with a misdemeanor carrying a penalty of one year in jail and/or up to $5,000 in fines. In the afternoon, the Howard County Health Department announced the county's first confirmed coronavirus case: an 82-year-old woman with an underlying condition who resided at the Lorien Elkridge, a nursing home in Elkridge. The MDH initiated the process of contacting and notifying all staff, residents, and family members about the possible exposure to COVID-19 in the nursing home. Six medics were exposed to the woman not knowing that she was a COVID-19 patient; all six medics went into self-quarantine, according to the Howard County fire chief. This case brings the total number of positive cases to 32 for the state. Hogan held a press conference in the late morning of March 16, where he announced an executive order that would require all bars, restaurants, gyms, and movie theaters in the state to close at 5:00 pm. Restaurants with delivery, drive-thru, and carry out services are exempt from closing completely. On the morning of March 17, the MDH confirmed 20 additional positive cases in the state, including the first case in Frederick County. Only two of the three cases announced by Howard County on March 16 were added to the MDH's total figure for the day. The additional case announced by Baltimore Mayor Jack Young was also not included in the totals. The official figure from the MDH was now 57. Hogan announced an executive order that postponed the Maryland primary elections. A series of restrictions and cuts surrounding transportation were also announced on March 17. For the first time since the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, the
Maryland General Assembly The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber ...
's annual session ended early, due to coronavirus concerns. The session, which usually runs for 90 days, was ended three weeks earlier than normal on March 18. In the time before the session was hurriedly ended, many coronavirus legislation measures were passed, including the authorization to draw up to $100 million from the "rainy day" fund and extending temporary unemployment benefits for workers who are either quarantined or whose jobs are closed temporarily. The Assembly also passed legislation that makes price gouging and firing workers for being quarantined illegal in the state. All legislation would have to be signed by Governor Hogan to be made law, but would take effect immediately. A
Prince George's County ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrook ...
man in his 60s was announced to be the first death in Maryland on March 18. The man contracted the coronavirus through community transmission and had an underlying health problem. On the morning of March 19, Hogan announced that all shopping centers and entertainment venues were to close as of 5:00 pm that day, stating "This is a race against time" and he's doing everything he can to "avoid shutting down society". He also announced access to the
BWI Airport Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport , commonly referred to as BWI or BWI Marshall, is an international airport in the Eastern United States serving mainly Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. With Dulles Internat ...
terminals would be restricted to employees, ticketed passengers, and visitors assisting disabled passengers. On March 23, Hogan ordered all non-essential businesses in the state to close effective at 5:00 pm Monday to prevent further spread of COVID-19. He also announced initiatives to provide relief to small businesses and employees. On March 25, the Maryland Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Karen B. Salmon, announced the extension of the Maryland school closure from March 30 to April 26, adding on an extra 4 weeks to the school cancellation. On March 29, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland continued to rise, reaching over 1,000. Deaths also continued. On March 30, Governor Hogan issued a mandatory
stay-at-home order A stay-at-home order, safer-at-home order, movement control order (more common in Southeast Asia), or lockdown restrictions (in the United Kingdom) – also referred to by loose use of the terms (self-) quarantine, (self-) isolation, or lockdow ...
, effective beginning at 8:00 pm EDT that evening. The Governor also required all individuals who have recently traveled out of the state to self quarantine for 14 days. Violation of the order would be punishable by a prison sentence of up to one year and/or a $5,000 fine. A wireless alert was also sent to all mobile devices in the state.
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
's Governor
Ralph Northam Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...
and the
District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
's Mayor
Muriel Bowser Muriel Elizabeth Bowser (born August 2, 1972) is an American politician serving since 2015 as the eighth mayor of the District of Columbia. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously represented the 4th ward as a member of the Counci ...
issued similar orders on the same day (see COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia and in Washington, D.C.). On April 2, Maryland confirmed cases of COVID-19 surpassed 2,000 to at least 2,331, 346 new from the previous day; five more people had died, bringing the state's death toll to 36. Of the total confirmed cases, 71% were patients younger than 60. In a request to the federal government, Maryland state asked for more than a million masks,
gloves A glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves usually have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb. If there is an opening but no (or a short) covering sheath for each finger they are called fingerless gloves. Fingerless glo ...
and face shields, and 15,000
body bag A body bag, also known as a cadaver pouch or human remains pouch (HRP), is a non-porous bag designed to contain a human body, used for the storage and transportation of shrouded corpses. History In the United States, the apparent first docum ...
s. Per released FEMA documents, the state received 138 of 200 requested ventilators, about a third of the 778,129 face masks it requested, just 110,240 of the 421,532 N95 respirator masks it sought, well fewer than half of the 330,540 requested gloves and none of the 100,000 testing swabs it hoped to acquire to test for the virus, nor their requested body bags. "Overall, the oversight committee said FEMA had distributed fewer than 10% of the N95 masks and less than 1% of gloves sought collectively by Maryland, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia." On April 15, Governor Hogan announced an executive order requiring masks or face coverings in all Maryland grocery stores and pharmacies and on public transportation, effective on April 18, 7:00 AM. On April 17, State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Salmon, after extensive consultation with the State Board of Education and leading public health experts in the state, extended the closure of schools through May 15. On April 18, Governor Larry Hogan announced the state had purchased 500,000 test kits for $9.46 million from South Korea. A
Korean Air Korean Air Co., Ltd. (), operating as Korean Air (Korean Air Lines before 1984), is the flag carrier of South Korea and its largest airline based on fleet size, international destinations and international flights. The present-day Korean Air ...
jet arrived at
Baltimore-Washington International Airport Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport , commonly referred to as BWI or BWI Marshall, is an international airport in the Eastern United States serving mainly Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. With Dulles Internat ...
with the delivery from LabGenomics. However they turned out to be flawed and were never used. The Hogan administration quietly paid the same South Korean company another $2.5 million for 500,000 replacement tests. On April 24, Hogan announced his "Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery" to slowly lift restrictions and open businesses. The roadmap is a three-stage plan using federal guidelines,
National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the politica ...
guidance, and AEI and Johns Hopkins reports. On May 1, Hogan announced a Centers for Disease Control field team was dispatched to Wicomico County to increase testing in the area due to the increase of COVID-19 among poultry workers. Wicomico County had the fourth highest COVID-19 case rate in the state, per capita, higher than both Baltimore Baltimore City and County. A two-day drive thru testing site was set up at
Arthur W. Perdue Stadium Arthur W. Perdue Stadium is a baseball stadium in Salisbury, Maryland. It is the home of the Baltimore Orioles Carolina League affiliate Delmarva Shorebirds. Named for the founder of Perdue Farms, Arthur Perdue, it features the Eastern Shore B ...
to focus on poultry workers. On May 6, Hogan announced that effective May 7, safe outdoor activities are allowed such as golf, tennis, boating, fishing, camping, and other activities, although he cautioned that it was still "critical for Marylanders to continue practicing physical distancing." Additionally, the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) issued guidelines to allow elective procedures to resume at the discretion of local hospitals and health care providers. State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Salmon announced the closure of all Maryland Public Schools for the remainder of the 2019 - 2020 academic school year. On May 15, effective at 5:00 pm the "stay-at-home" order was lifted and limited non-essential businesses reopened. However, some jurisdictions continued their "stay-at-home" restrictions including Baltimore City, Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. On June 3, Hogan announced Stage 2 of the reopening plan would be effective June 5 at 5:00 pm. On July 29, Hogan expanded his previous face covering order. Effective July 31 at 5:00 pm everyone older than 5 years old must wear face coverings inside all buildings where the public has access, on any public transportation, outside when unable to socially distance, obtaining healthcare services, engaged in work in any area where interaction with others is likely (including commercial office space), and where food is prepared and/or packaged. On August 16, the state became the 19th state to surpass 100,000 cases. On September 1, Hogan placed the state in Stage 3, effective September 4 at 5:00 pm. On November 10, Hogan implemented restrictions, some similar to Stage 2, effective November 11 at 5:00 pm. Restaurants will be limited to 50% capacity, from 75%. Indoor gatherings of more than 25 people are strongly discouraged. Remote work became mandatory for state employees who were able to do so. The restrictions were imposed on the same day Stephen Decatur High School in Berlin MD moved back to distance learning effective November 11 as a result of positive COVID-19 cases on school.
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
and Montgomery County imposed even stricter measures. On November 17, Hogan implemented additional restrictions, similar to Stage 2, effective November 20 at 5:00 pm. Restaurants will be required to close at 10:00 pm each evening for dine in service. Retail, organizations, religious organizations, fitness centers, and similar will be restricted to 50% capacity. Hospital and Nursing Home visitation is suspended. On December 1, Governor Hogan made numerous medical staffing announcements, including the launch of ''MarylandMedNow'', a portal to recruit medical job seekers, urging colleges and universities to award credit to those with hand-on work experience in healthcare during the pandemic and allowing early graduation for those who have met all graduation requirements and are in their final semester. On December 14, the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines began to arrive in Maryland. On December 17, Governor Hogan implemented additional restrictions including reducing gatherings from 25 to 10 persons, advising against out of state travel, and adding required testing or quarantine after out of state travel. On January 1, 2021, Maryland reported the second second-highest tally for new daily coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, at 3,557. On January 12, 2021, two confirmed cases of a new, more contagious SARS-CoV-2 variant from the United Kingdom were reported in Maryland. The patients are a married couple in
Anne Arundel County Anne Arundel County (; ), also notated as AA or A.A. County, is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 588,261, an increase of just under 10% since 2010. Its county seat is Annapolis, whi ...
, one of whom had a traveling history to the United Kingdom. On June 15, 2021, Governor Hogan announced that Maryland's COVID-19 state of emergency will end on July 1, 2021. As of that date all remaining state level restrictions, including mask requirements in schools and medical facilities, will end. On December 4, 2021, the Maryland Department of Health had a "network security incident" which stopped COVID-19 data reporting to the public. While the data reporting was unavailable, Anne Arundel County Health Officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman said, "It's kind of like our vision is a little fuzzy, right? We don't know the case rate." During this time, hospitals in Maryland neared capacity.


Reopening stages

On April 24, 2020, Governor Larry Hogan announced his "Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recover" plan that illustrates three stages in re-opening the state. The plan uses federal guidelines,
National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the politica ...
guidance, and AEI and Johns Hopkins reports.


Stage 1 (May 2020)

Stage 1 involves reopening activities considered low risk. Effective Friday, May 15, 2020, at 5:00 pm Hogan lifted the "stay at home" order, more than 45 days after the order was initially announced. "The fight against this deadly disease is far from over" but "Maryland and our nation can now at least begin to slowly recover," Hogan said. Although the stay at home order was lifted, the state would be moving instead toward a Safer-at-Home public health advisory. Hogan encouraged residents to practice social distancing and to continuing to wear face coverings when inside stores or on public transportation, as outlined in his previous Face Covering Order. Certain businesses reopened on May 15, including most retail establishments (at 50% capacity or less, and not enclosed shopping malls), manufacturing operations, religious facilities (at 50% capacity), personal services including barber shops and salons (at 50% capacity). All businesses opening are subject to local regulation. Gatherings larger than 10 persons remain prohibited. Restaurants, bars, fitness centers, theaters, malls, other non-essential businesses, and other recreational facilities remain closed. Howard and Frederick counties enacted modified version of the first stage. Baltimore City, Montgomery and Prince George's Counties continued their stay-at-home restrictions. Montgomery & Prince George's Counties started stage 1 on June 1, 2020. Baltimore City did not start Stage 1 until June 8, 2020 - by which point many other places of the state were already in Stage 2. With various counties initiating the rollout of Stage 1 in different ways and at different times. Many residents of the state were unsure what applied to where they lived. Frederick County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Rick Weldon described the roll out of stage one as "slightly confusing." Effective Friday, May 29, 2020, at 5:00 pm Hogan initiated the final reopenings in Stage 1. It included outdoor dining for restaurants and social organizations - such as American Legion, Elk Clubs, or VFWs. Additionally, youth sports, youth day camps, outdoor pools and drive-in movie theaters were included. Restaurants must follow all public health requirements outlined by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...
,
Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...
, and the
National Restaurant Association The National Restaurant Association is a restaurant industry business association in the United States, representing more than 380,000 restaurant locations. It also operates the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The associa ...
, including things such as maintaining appropriate distance, limited seating, and proper sanitizing between customers. Limited outdoor gym and fitness classes, and limited outdoor religious gatherings were also permitted to resume.


Stage 2 (June 2020)

Stage 2 involves reopening activities considered medium risk. Effective Friday, June 5, 2020, at 5:00 pm Hogan announced the state will begin moving into Stage 2, allowing many nonessential businesses to reopen, and state agencies will return to normal operations the following Monday. Hogan said in a press conference, "Moving into Stage 2 does not mean this crisis is behind us." He still encouraged residents to continue to practice social distancing and wear face masks while inside. These lifted restrictions are still subject to local jurisdiction. At this point, Baltimore City still has the "stay at home" order in place. Montgomery and Prince George's counties also are not moving forward with Stage 2 at this time. Under this executive order large and small retail shops, specialty vendors, wholesalers, warehouses, banks, real estate offices, travel agencies, auto dealers, tattoo parlors and showrooms are all able to resume operations. However, social, community, recreational, leisure, and sporting gatherings and events of more than 10 are still prohibited. Additionally, senior centers, indoor service at restaurants and bars, fitness centers, theaters, indoor malls, and other indoor recreation such as pool halls, bowling alleys, mini golf, and social clubs must remain closed. Effective Friday June 12, 2020, at 5:00 pm, Hogan initiated additional reopenings in Stage 2. It included indoor service at restaurants, at 50% capacity, and outdoor amusements. Effective Friday June 19, at 5:00 pm, arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, casinos, indoor gyms, malls, roller rinks, social clubs, and studio fitness were permitted to reopen.


Stage 3 (September 2020)

Stage 3 involves reopening activities considered high risk. This stage originally was set to require an FDA approved vaccine that was widely available, however Governor Hogan placed the state in Stage 3 effective September 4, 2020 at 5:00 pm. In Stage 3 all businesses are permitted to be open. Movie theaters and live entertainment are restricted to 50% capacity, or up to 100 people at indoor venues and 250 at outdoor venues. Effective September 21, 2020, Hogan expanded capacity of indoor dining at restaurants from 50% to 75%. Effective October 1, 2020, Hogan resumed permitting indoor visitation at nursing homes, as long as there is not a COVID-19 outbreak at the nursing home, and the county's positivity rate is less than 10%. Additionally, child care centers are permitted to return to their full licensed capacity. Effective March 12, 2021, Hogan lifted capacity limits for indoor and outdoor dining, retail, religious facilities, fitness centers, personal services, and indoor recreation. In addition, Hogan expanded capacity for large indoor and outdoor venues including conference venues, wedding venues, concert venues, conventions, theaters, racing venues, and sports venues to 50%. Hogan also lifted quarantine requirements and restrictions for out-of-state travel. Some counties and municipalities continue to have restrictions in place, such as the City of Salisbury's residential gathering limit. Effective May 15, 2021, Hogan lifted all remaining restrictions on businesses, restaurants, and other venues. He also lifted the majority of the face covering mandate, except for the requirement to wear a face covering in schools, health care settings, and public transportation per CDC guidelines.


Vaccination timelines

Maryland is distributing the vaccines using a phased approach, based on relative risk of exposure or developing serious illness. * Phase 1A: Health care workers; Residents and staff of nursing homes; First responders, public safety, corrections. (Phase 1A began in mid-late December 2020.) * Phase 1B: Assisted living, independent living, behavioral health and developmentally disabled group homes, and other congregate facilities; Adults age 75 and older; Education and childcare; and continuity of government. (The state entered Phase 1B on January 18, 2021.) * Phase 1C: Adults age 65–74; Essential workers in lab services, food and agriculture, manufacturing, postal service, public transit, and grocery workers. (The state entered Phase 1C on January 25, 2021.) * Phase 2A: Adults age 60–64. (The state entered Phase 2A on March 23, 2021.) *Phase 2B: Ages 16+ at increased risk of severe COVID-19 illness due to comorbidities. (The state entered Phase 2B on March 30, 2021.) *Phase 2C: Essential workers in critical utilities, transportation, finance, IT, food service, etc. (The state entered Phase 2C on April 13, 2021.) * Phase 3: General population aged 16 and older (The state entered Phase 3 on April 19, 2021.)


Government response


Primary and secondary schools


2019-2020 school year

On March 12, 2020, Karen Salmon, Superintendent of the
Maryland State Department of Education Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is a division of the state government of Maryland in the United States. The agency oversees public school districts, which are 24 local school systems—one for each of Maryland's 23 counties plus one ...
, announced that all Maryland public schools were to be closed from March 16 through March 27, 2020. Superintendent Salmon announced on March 25, 2020, an extended four-week closure, until April 24; Governor Hogan added that the additional four-week closure was "somewhat aspirational" and they would reassess the situation in that time. On April 17, 2020, Superintendent Salmon, after consultation with the State Board of Education and public health experts, extended the closure of Maryland public schools through May 15. On May 6, 2020, Superintendent Salmon announced that schools would remain closed for the remainder of the 2019–20 academic school year.


2020-2021 school year

The Maryland State Department of Education granted authority to the individual county Boards of Education to develop a recovery plan consistent with the state'
Maryland Together: Maryland's Recovery Plan for Education
Counties were required to complete and post to their websites a recovery plan by August 14, 2020. The plans must include various requirements, such as equity in instruction, stakeholder groups, and standards. Many boards developed a three-stage plan, with stage one being remote learning, stage two a hybrid of remote and in-class, and stage three a full return to class.
Harford County Public Schools Harford County Public Schools is an American public school system serving the residents of Harford County, Maryland. Schools Elementary schools There are thirty-three elementary schools in Harford County. Homestead-Wakefield, William Paca/Old Po ...
began the school year in the remote stage with "Learning Resource Centers" as a place for children needing supervision during the day to receive it, along with internet access and breakfast and lunch. The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association postponed the fall and winter 2020 sports seasons. On August 27, 2020, Governor Larry Hogan announced that all schools in Maryland can safely reopen. "I am announcing that as a result of our improved health metrics, every single county school system in the state of Maryland is now fully authorized to begin safely reopening," Hogan said. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Salmon said she strongly encourages local school systems to reevaluate their mode of instruction at the end of the first quarter, and that the State of Maryland has $10 million in grant funding available to help systems that are able to move toward in-person instruction. Maryland School Superintendents had been requesting guidelines for reopening from Dr. Salmon, since June. The Public School Superintendents' Association of Maryland President, Talbot County Superintendent Kelly Griffith, said "The governor's health metrics and guidelines for reopening schools come far too late in the process of planning for the coming school year, which begins Sept. 8. Every school system was required to submit its plans for instruction for the coming months by Aug. 14, and school districts had already made a decision to go online." On September 24, 2020, Governor Hogan announced that fall sports were authorized to resume on October 7. Many school districts in Maryland opened in a virtual mode, shifting some or all grade levels to hybrid in late September to mid-October, 2020. All districts reverted to virtual by early December 2020 due to the spike in COVID-19 cases. After the holiday break, some school systems, such as Worcester County, originally planned to return to hybrid instruction despite health metrics exceeding state recommendations. However, on the Sunday prior to in-person instruction resuming, the local health department asked the school system not to open. On January 21, Governor Larry Hogan and State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Salmon called on all Maryland school systems to return to hybrid instruction—a combination of in-person and virtual learning—no later than Monday, March 1. State health officials provided school systems wit
Maryland School Reopening Guidance


2021-2022 school year

Many county public school districts, such as Howard County, Baltimore County, and Wicomico County are requiring face coverings for all students, teachers, and staff when they return in the fall, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Maryland Department of Health, and local health departments. On August 26, 2021, the Maryland State Department of Education voted to require universal face coverings at all schools, after State School Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury said he supported universal face coverings two days prior. Universal face coverings was discontinued, on February 25, 2022, by the Maryland State Department of Education, after approval by the General Assembly's Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review.


Colleges and universities


2020-2021 school year

Many schools in the
University System of Maryland The University System of Maryland (USM) is a public higher education system in the U.S. state of Maryland. The system is composed of the eleven campuses at College Park, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Princess Anne, Towson, Salisbury, Bowie, Fr ...
opened for the 2020–2021 school year allowing remote and in-person instruction. On August 16, 2020,
Towson University Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the university h ...
temporarily switched all classes to remote due to positive tests conducted on campus, and on August 26 moved the remainder of the fall semester to remote instruction, closing resident halls. The
University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
began the fall semester on August 31, 2020, remotely, and started in-person classes on September 14.


Libraries

By Mid-March 2020, all 24 public library systems in the state had closed, and remained closed for at least two months. The first library to reopen was Ruth Enlow Library of Garrett County, on May 18, 2020, with curbside service. On June 15, 2020, the Enoch Pratt Public Library system in Baltimore started sidewalk services. Equipment was installed to boost wi-fi signals outside of the library at eight locations to start offering drive-in wifi. By August 3, 2020, all libraries had reopened for curbside service. Libraries started opening for indoor service, with Ruth Enlow Library and Somerset County Library being the first, on June 22, 2020. Anne Arundel County Public Library reopened its building to the public on July 6, 2020, but closed again on August 13 after library staff "documented hundreds of instances of customers failing to wear face coverings or follow social distancing protocols."


Public health response

On Monday, March 23, 2020, Larry Hogan announced that the
Baltimore Convention Center The Baltimore Convention Center is a convention and exhibition hall located in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. The center is a municipal building owned and operated by the City of Baltimore. The facility was constructed in two separate phases: th ...
and adjacent city owned Hilton, in partnership with
Johns Hopkins Hospital The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. It was founded in 1889 using money from a bequest of over $7 million (1873 m ...
and the
University of Maryland Medical System The University of Maryland Medical System (also known as UMMS) is a private, not-for-profit corporation founded in 1984 and based in Baltimore, Maryland. It owns and operates 13 hospitals (as of 2018) in Maryland, and has more than 2,500 licensed ...
, would become a makeshift hospital. Approximately 100,000 of the 300,000 square foot convention center would be used for 250 additional beds and could expand up to 750 in an effort to increase the statewide hospital capacity by an additional 6,000 beds.
Peninsula Regional Medical Center TidalHealth Peninsula Regional is a non-profit hospital located in Salisbury, Maryland. Established in 1897 by Dr. George W. Todd with six beds in an old home, the institution once known as Peninsula General Hospital has grown to contain approxim ...
, in Salisbury, expanded capacity through converting a conference space into a fully equipped 43-bed intensive care unit. In addition, PRMC received a 20-bed inflatable hospital from the Delmarva Regional Healthcare Mutual Aid Group. In late April, 2020, Salisbury University and PRMC partnered to provide space for 100 individuals recovering from COVID-19 in vacant student housing, allowing those individuals to complete their 14-day quarantine outside the hospital setting.


Effects on 2020 elections


Primary election

Governor Hogan announced an executive order on March 17, 2020, that the Maryland primary elections would be postponed. Scheduled to be held April 28, until June 2, with early voting changed to May 21 through May 28. Maryland became the fifth state in the country after Louisiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Georgia to postpone primary elections. The state sent 4 million mail-in ballots and having limited in-person voting for the June 2 primary election. Although standard primary elections were postponed, the governor stated that the state's 7th Congressional District's special election, to fill the seat of former Representative
Elijah Cummings Elijah Eugene Cummings (January 18, 1951October 17, 2019) was an American politician and civil rights advocate who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1996 until his death in 2019, when he was succeeded by his predecess ...
, would remain on April 28, 2020, citing that it was "imperative that the people of the 7th Congressional District have a voice in the House of Representatives and that Maryland has a full delegation representing our state in Congress." The special election was done through mail-in voting only. Democrat
Kweisi Mfume Kweisi Mfume ( ; born Frizzell Gerald Gray; October 24, 1948) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for Maryland's 7th congressional district, first serving from 1987 to 1996 and again since 2020. A member of the Democratic ...
won the special election, it's a seat he held for 10 years prior to serving as President of the NAACP.


General election

Governor Hogan directed the Maryland Board of Elections to hold the general election as normally permitted under state law, with no additional executive orders to expand mail-in voting. Hogan ordered that all early voting and polling centers would be open and an absentee ballot application would be mailed to all eligible voters, however an absentee ballot would not be mailed automatically like was the case with the primary election.


Impact on sports

In March 2020,
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
canceled the remainder of spring training, and on March 16, 2020, they announced that the season will be postponed indefinitely, after the recommendations from the
CDC The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...
to restrict events of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks, affecting the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
. On June 24, 2020, it was announced that the 2020 season of 60 games will begin July 23 and 24 with players returning to spring training on July 1. On June 30, 2020, it was announced that the 2020 Minor League Baseball season would not be played, affecting teams like the
Delmarva Shorebirds The Delmarva Shorebirds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Salisbury, Maryland. They are members of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. Their home games are played at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. The Shor ...
, who now plan to transition the stadium into a community entertainment center for the remainder of the year. In college sports, the
National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
canceled all winter and spring tournaments, most notably the Division I
men A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chro ...
's and
women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...
's basketball tournaments, affecting colleges and universities statewide.NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships
NCAA, March 12, 2020
On March 16, 2020, the
National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...
also canceled the remainder of the winter seasons as well as the spring seasons.NJCAA cancels spring sports, basketball nationals amid coronavirus outbreak
MLive.com, March 16, 2020
The 2020
Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () o ...
were postponed until after Labor Day.


See also

* COVID-19 pandemic in Virginia – for impact on Virginia counties in the Washington metropolitan area *
COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C. The first cases relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C., were reported on March 7, 2020. The city has enacted a variety of public health measures in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus, including limiting business activiti ...
– for impact on the District of Columbia *
Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States may refer to: * Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States (2020) * Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States (2021) * Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United S ...
* COVID-19 pandemic in the United States – for impact on the country *
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
– for impact on other countries * Shortages related to the COVID-19 pandemic


References


External links


Coronavirus information
from the
Maryland Department of Health The Maryland Department of Health is an agency of the government of Maryland responsible for public health issues. The Department is headed by a Secretary who is a member of the Executive Council/Cabinet of the Governor of Maryland. Currently t ...
(MDH)
Frequently Asked Questions About COVID-19
from the MDH
Homepage
for MDH
Open Source County Level Data, History and Prediction Graphs
based on MDH API {{Portal bar, Medicine, United States, Viruses, COVID-19
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...
coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...
Disasters in Maryland Health in Maryland