Maryland’s Reopening ‘Paused’ Due To Latest Increases In COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations, Hogan Says – CBS Baltimore

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — Further reopening plans for Maryland amid the coronavirus are “paused” in place, Gov. Larry Hogan said Wednesday.

The governor made the comments at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

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Maryland will not move into the third phase of the Roadmap to Recovery plan “until it is safe, prudent and thoroughly backed by the data and medical science,” Hogan said.

“We do find ourselves at a fork in the road, a critical turning point where we could either continue making progress and continue heading in the right direction or we could ignore the warnings and spike back up like much of the rest of the country,” the governor said. “We’re making every effort to keep Maryland safely open for business.”

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While the number of cases and hospitalizations in the state has been climbing, Hogan said the state won’t be re-implementing business closures.

Re-closing businesses has proven “devastating” to other states, he said.

“We’ve come too far together to lose the progress that we’ve made on the road to recovery here in Maryland,” he said.

In addition, the state is urging people to postpone or cancel travel to a number of states that are seeing high infection rates and to get tested and self-quarantine upon returning.

Governor Hogan strongly advising against any travel to or from these states:

• Florida
• Texas
• Georgia
• Louisiana
• Arizona
• Alabama
• South Carolina
• Nebraska
• Idaho

Advise you to postpone or cancel travel to these areas until positivity rate declines @wjz

— Rick Ritter (@RickRitterWJZ) July 29, 2020

The overall rate of Marylanders testing positive for COVID-19 is up to 4.77 percent as of Wednesday. Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Prince George’s County have positivity rates over the goal threshold of five percent, he said.

All but two of the state’s jurisdictions — Cecil County and Calvert County — have tested at least ten percent of their population.

The number one activity of people who tested positive for the virus recently was attending a family gathering, Hogan said, followed by attending house parties and outdoor events.

Hogan again says the rise in cases is tied to a rise in testing @wjz

— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) July 29, 2020

For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department’s website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ’s coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.