The executive order takes effect on Saturday morning.
Governor Larry Hogan issued a new order for Marylanders at a press briefing on Wednesday. The governor held the briefing to give the public an update on the state’s plan to work towards recovery and reopening business. In order to further slow the spread of COVID-19, Hogan has signed a new executive order requiring residents to wear masks when out shopping, riding public transportation, and visiting other essential businesses.
To give everyone a chance to comply, the executive order will go into effect at 7 a.m. on Saturday, April 18, 2020. Anyone entering a grocery store, pharmacy, convenience store or any other retail store must wear a mask. Employees in these establishments will also be required to wear face masks, and stores are required to implement plans for good social distancing practices for shoppers and employees. The order also applies to anyone traveling on trains, buses, and any other public transportation in the state of Maryland.
Masks of all types have been difficult to find for both medical personnel and the public. The governor directed residents to the CDC website for guidance on how to make a mask at home. The site has directions for sew and no-sew versions of a mask that can be made from an old t-shirt. Several counties in Maryland—including Charles, Montgomery, and Anne Arundel—had already issued orders requiring masks in the past week.
Today I enacted an executive order which will require the wearing of masks or face coverings when inside any retail establishments, including grocery stores and pharmacies, or when riding any form of public transportation in Maryland, effective Saturday, April 18, at 7 a.m. pic.twitter.com/AR6WuhhWfV
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) April 15, 2020
The briefing also focused on a four-pronged plan designed to prepare the state for an eventual reopening of the economy. The plan includes ramped up testing, adding more hospital beds, increasing the amount of personal protective equipment, and initiating extensive contact tracing. The governor acknowledged the urgency people have to return to normal, but wants people to understand the danger in rushing the process.
“We want to get our economy back, we want people to get back to work, but we want to do so in a safe and smart way because the worst possible thing we could do is take actions too quickly and then have that spike like New York and have thousands of people die,” he said.
To put the plan into action, officials are acquiring tests from several suppliers including Abbott Labs. The goal is to grow the number of administered tests to 10,000 per day and to begin the use of antibody tests. Hospital capacity is being increased with the help of the Army Corps of Engineers at the Hagerstown Correctional Facility, Washington Adventist Hospital, and at Adventist Fort Washington. There also plans to build 60 surge tents in different locations around the state. A multi-agency effort has secured PPE including 45 million N95 masks and 252 ICU ventilators. The state has increased the size of the contact tracing team from 250 to 1000 people. The contact tracers will investigate every positive case and ensure the patients stay in isolation while they are ill.
