Maryland's total number of confirmed coronavirus cases has now reached 288, with three deaths. At a news conference Monday, Governor Larry Hogan announced over the weekend, the state saw a 678% increase in new cases—a total of 98 new cases.
Hogan said there are now Coronavirus cases in 21 of 24 of Maryland’s jurisdictions, “said Hogan. “There are 635 cases in the Capital Region of Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. Thirty-two thousand case in America, and 342,000 worldwide.”
Governor Hogan has halted pay increase for state employees working during the pandemic. Hogan’s office says extra pay is no longer necessary because officials believe agencies have implemented necessary procedures to protect employees. Appearing yesterday on NBC's Meet the Press, the governor said the country is making progress, but the White House is not doing enough to curb the virus outbreak.
The governor and Baltimore leaders say residents are not doing enough social distancing to effectively stop the coronavirus outbreak. Meanwhile, Anne Arundel County Police say that anyone organizing events that hold more than ten people can face a year of jail time or a fine up to five-thousand dollars. And, officials in Ocean City say they've decided to close the beach and the boardwalk through April 15th.
It will be at least a week before students in Baltimore County are able to return to school during the COVID-19 outbreak. So, teachers at West Towson Elementary School formed a parade in their cars to drive past students and their families in their homes yesterday morning. Principal Sue Hershfeld says the school misses the students and the parade was a way to keep in touch but still maintain social distancing.
