Governor Announces COVID-19 Recovery Plan

He says it will be phased in.

 

Annapolis, Md (KM) Governor Larry Hogan on Friday introduced his “Maryland Strong”  recovery plan. He says it consists of three phases. Phase one would lift the stay at home order, and allow some small businesses to reopen. The other phases will let larger businesses reopen, and ease the restrictions on how many people can gather in one place. Currently, it’s against his executive order for more than ten people to gather in one place.

During a news conference at the State House in Annapolis, the Governor said it’s yet  not time to remove the restrictions put in place to lessen the spread of the coronavirus. “The key numbers we are most focused on are the rate of hospitalization and the numbers of patients admitted to ICU,” he said. “We are watching these numbers very closely on a daily basis.”

When there’s a decline in these numbers, Governor Hogan said he state can begin phasing in  the plan.   “And when we start to see that downward trajectory or a consistent plateauing of those metrics, that can put us in a position to consider lifting the stay-at-home order, and beginning our gradual, safe and effective recovery plan.”

He also said there’s a danger of putting this plan into affect too soon. “If we try to rush this and we don’t do it in a thoughtful and responsible way, it could cause a rebound of the virus, which could deepen the economic crisis, prolong the fiscal problems, and slow our economic recovery,” he said.

But the Governor said if Marylanders continue staying at home, and practice  social distancing, the first phase of the recovery plan could be implemented in early May. Previously, Hogan has said that there are positive signs when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s not time to lift the restrictions.

Also at the news conference, Dr. Tom Inglesby with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said the coronavirus will probably be in Maryland for a while until a vaccine is developed.

 

 

By Kevin McManus