She says the county continues to do its work, but in much different ways. 
Frederick, Md (KM) The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on Frederick County residents was discussed during the State of the County Address on Thursday. County Executive Jan Gardner noted the impact it’s had on residents. “The early days of the pandemic were difficult, often scary, and sorrowful for many people in our community,” Gardner said. “We mourn those who died from COVID-19, and all those who continue to suffer ongoing illness from the virus.”
But there are signs of hope as county employees found new ways to their jobs providing services to citizens. “When many businesses and activities shut down, Frederick County Government stayed open,” she said. “I’m proud of our public servants who continue to provide essential services to our community, although sometimes in a new or modified way.”
The State of the County was a video showing the progress being made in Frederick County, despite the pandemic, with County Executive Gardner providing narration.
She said one way the county remained open during the early days of the pandemic was in the area of public safety. “Residents can count on fire and EMS, law enforcement, 911 and all our public safety partners to be on the job,” said Gardner. “Residents can depend on water and sewer service, trash disposal and recycling, permitting and inspection, TransIT and so much more.”
And county employees also worked to help contain the spread of the coronavirus. “Our nursing homes, like others across the region and across the country, were hit hard. We worked hard to deliver PPE {Personal Protective Equipment} and our Health Department created a nursing home team to support efforts to control the spread and take care of patients,” said Gardner.
While there is a lot of good to promote in Frederick County, Gardner said more needs to be done to create a community where everyone can benefit regardless of racial and ethnic background and socio-economic status. She said she heard many things during her listening sessions she held earlier this year. “Top priorities identified through the listening sessions include opportunity and equity in public education, teaching and learning our history, economic empowerment and support for minority businesses–including opportunity for procurement with government–addressing health disparities and police reform,” she said.
Despite all these challenges, Gardner says the county will come out of this pandemic stronger. “We are all in this together,” she said, as she ended the State of the County Address.
By Kevin McManus