Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations.
JAMES MADISON
Governor Hogan Plans Gradual Rollout of Recovery Phase Amid “Very Real Reasons for Hope and Optimism”
Will Announce Further Detail on Recovery Roadmap Next Week; State to Quadruple Contact Tracing Force to More Than 1,000; Expand Testing Capacity to 10,000 Daily
Enacts Statewide Order Requiring Masks and Face Coverings for Grocery Stores, Pharmacies, Retail Establishments, and Public Transportation
Announces Conversion of Former Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park and Hagerstown Correctional Facility to Field Hospital Sites
ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan today announced that Maryland is now in a position to plan the gradual rollout of the state’s recovery phase amid “very real reasons for hope and optimism,” laying out four building blocks for a recovery plan:
- Expanding testing capacity
- Increasing hospital surge capacity
- Ramping up the supply of PPE
- Building a robust contact tracing operation
“Fortunately, because of the early and aggressive actions and because of the extraordinary sacrifices of Marylanders, we are now in a position to move from containment and mitigation to planning the gradual rollout of our recovery phase,” said Governor Hogan. “There are some very real reasons for hope and optimism right now and there is clearly light at the end of this tunnel, but exactly how and when we will get to that light is going to be up to each and every one of us. Right now while our numbers are still climbing and we are still heading up that curve, not down, it is absolutely critical for Marylanders to stay home, to continue avoiding crowds and gatherings, and to aggressively practice social distancing.”
BUILDING BLOCKS FOR RECOVERY PHASE: Governor Hogan announced that over the last several weeks, state officials have been consulting with doctors and public health experts serving on the Coronavirus Response Team to develop a roadmap for the reopening of Maryland and the state economy.
- Testing. Governor Hogan announced that Maryland has expanded testing capacity by more than 5,000 percent in the past month and the state is on track with an aggressive plan to more than triple current capacity to perform up to 10,000 tests per day.
- The State of Maryland recently secured an additional 40,000 tests, including 30,000 that will utilize Abbott m2000 testing machines.
- Today, the state entered into a separate agreement with Abbott Labs to acquire a substantial number of antibody tests.
- Hospital Surge. Governor Hogan announced that the state’s efforts to increase hospital surge capacity by 6,000 beds is weeks ahead of schedule and highlighted additional progress.
- In partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the state is converting the Hagerstown Correctional Facility and the former Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park to serve COVID-19 patients. The latter site is near the highest concentration of positive coronavirus cases in Montgomery County.
- Construction of a surge response tent at Adventist’s Fort Washington Hospital, located in a region of Prince George’s County with a high concentration of COVID-19 cases, is near completion.
- 60 additional response tents are being set up in Frederick, Jessup, Hagerstown, Annapolis, Baltimore, Germantown, and Randallstown.
- PPE. Governor Hogan announced that a multi-agency task force is leading efforts to ramp up the state’s supply of personal protective equipment (PPE).
- In the past week, the state received one million additional face shields and 1,000 ICU beds.
- In the next week, the state is expecting deliveries of 4.5 million additional N95 masks, 290 oxygen concentrators, and 252 ICU ventilators.
- Contact Tracing. Governor Hogan announced plans to build a robust contact tracing operation that will enable the state to investigate every positive case and ensure that those patients are remaining in isolation for the duration of their illness.
- The State of Maryland currently has approximately 250 people conducting contact tracing statewide.
- Plans are underway to quadruple this force to at least 1,000 dedicated contact tracers by utilizing additional state employees and outside contractors.
FACE COVERINGS ORDER: Governor Hogan announced an executive order which requires the wearing of face coverings when inside any retail establishments or when riding any form of public transportation in Maryland. The order also requires all retail locations to require staff to wear face coverings and requires those businesses to put appropriate social distancing measures in place. To give retailers time to make these adjustments, the order will go into effect Saturday, April 18 at 7 a.m. The CDC has issued detailed guidance and instructions regarding homemade cloth face coverings which can be found at coronavirus.maryland.gov. Read the governor’s order.
STRIKE TEAMS UPDATE: Governor Hogan announced that statewide strike teams, which have become a national model, have now responded to outbreaks in 16 nursing homes and assisted living facilities and 15 group homes for medically fragile children. In partnership with FEMA and HHS, Maryland has augmented these strike teams with three federal Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) made up of physicians, paramedics, and safety officers.
CAPITAL REGION COLLABORATION: Governor Hogan has convened a teleconference with Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser on Friday to discuss regional issues and collaboration. The three leaders issued a joint statement on March 23 regarding their regional partnership.
SHAREHOLDER MEETINGS: Governor Hogan has enacted an emergency order allowing public companies incorporated in Maryland to delay shareholder meetings, or convert previously scheduled in-person meetings to be virtual meetings. Read the governor’s order.
PRESERVING THE SUPPLY OF NECESSARY DRUGS: Governor Hogan has enacted an emergency order to put restrictions on the dispensing of drugs that may be necessary to treat COVID-19, including hydroxychloroquine. Read the governor’s order.
RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL ASL DAY: Governor Hogan presented a citation to Jimmy Beldon, the Certified Deaf Interpreter for the governor’s press conferences, in recognition of National ASL Day. Read the governor’s citation.
All of Governor Hogan’s emergency orders and proclamations are available here. For COVID-19 resources, including case counts and clinician guidance, visit coronavirus.maryland.gov.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says he wasn’t thinking about the Bill of Rights…that’s above his pay grade…
WUHAN NAZIS! The Raleigh Police Department has ordered protesters to disperse and told them that protesting is not allowed under the North Carolina Governor’s Executive Order – proving that this idiot is a product of public schools and the moronic Governor needs to be shut down quick by a Federal Judge. The 1st Amendment has been declared null and void in North Carolina. It is just a matter of time before other socialist Democrat Governors follow his lead. Achtung!
The #ReopenNC protest that occurred in Downtown Raleigh today has been cleared. We explained to the protestors that at this time, they are not allowed to protest. It is a non-essential activity and violates the Governor’s Executive Order.
There was one arrest made by the State Capitol Police.
2/ It is worth remembering in the United States outside of New York City, and possibly New Orleans and Detroit, there has BEEN NO FIRST WAVE. There have barely even been ripples. That's why the hospitals are empty.
— Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) April 15, 2020
| The left is hoping you don’t remember . . . President Trump and many governors, Republican and Democrat, are focused on getting America through this global pandemic and back to work safely. The left’s political class, meanwhile, is fixated on something else: dividing Americans for partisan gain. The difference is that real leaders want results. Many are working with the President to achieve just that. Media pundits and Democrat leaders in Congress, on the other hand, are in the business of manufacturing conflict. They lose out if Americans unite. Yet the left botched the Coronavirus story again and again. Now, they blame the President and hope you don’t remember how they fought him every step of the way: The President formed a Coronavirus Task Force on January 29, when there were just a handful of confirmed cases in the United States. That day, The New York Times warned its readers to “beware the pandemic panic.” By the next day, Democrats were busy fighting each other over the impeachment spotlight. President Trump restricted travel from China two days later. Democrat leaders called the ban “xenophobic” and unnecessary. The Washington Post published a piece that day: “How our brains make coronavirus seem scarier than it is.” In an Oval Office address on March 11, President Trump spoke about the U.S. response and announced travel restrictions from Europe. Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined the media and other Democrats in questioning the action: “We’ll see whether it’s worth the trouble.” The Trump Administration negotiated with Congress later in March to get immediate relief for working Americans through the bipartisan CARES Act. Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats stalled the Senate bill with their own list of demands—filled with partisan items that had nothing to do with Coronavirus. There are more examples, but the pattern is clear: The left attacks President Trump for overreacting to Coronavirus, then later claims he didn’t do enough. It’s a classic Washington stunt, but it won’t work this time. Americans have seen these tricks before. WATCH: Media minimized Coronavirus from the start  President Trump is holding the WHO accountableAmerican taxpayers send $400-500 million to the World Health Organization each year. China, with its 1.4 billion people, contributes about one-tenth of that amount. The U.S. foots the bill, and here is what it receives in return: A WHO response to the Coronavirus outbreak that has been filled with one misstep and cover-up after another. The WHO repeatedly parroted the Chinese government’s claims that the virus was not spreading between humans, despite dire warnings from doctors and health officials. When Taiwan contacted the WHO in December after seeing reports of human-to-human transmission, the WHO cowered to China and kept it from the public. In addition to covering for the Chinese Communist Party, the WHO went out of its way to attack U.S. officials working to contain the virus. WHO leaders voiced strong opposition to travel restrictions from China and other countries, despite applauding travel restrictions within China itself. That led to further spread of the virus globally. On February 24, President Trump requested $2.5 billion from Congress in emergency funds to fight the virus. That same day, the WHO insisted Coronavirus was not a pandemic—and chillingly praised China’s government for getting it under control. In a global health crisis, telling the truth is a matter of life and death. In this basic duty, the WHO failed. Until these mistakes are acknowledged and fixed, President Trump has halted U.S. funding for the organization. “Maybe WHO will reform, and maybe they won’t,” President Trump said. “But we’ll be able to see.” “Timeline Proves WHO Helped China Make COVID-19 Pandemic Worse” President Trump: We’re reviewing mismanagement and cover-ups |
Caution: graphic language.
Massive convoy heading from Lowell to Lansing for #operationgridlock. Group is protesting @GovWhitmer extending stay-at-home order through end of April. Saying it violates their rights @wzzm13 pic.twitter.com/Jfc4u9odf2
— Noah Fromson (@NoahFromson) April 15, 2020
UPDATE: @raleighpolice appears to be closing streets around @NCLeg. Officers now warning the demonstration violates @NC_Governor #StayAtHome order & public health orders. Two warnings now that arrests will soon begin. @ABC11_WTVD @ABCPolitics @ABC #coronavirusNC pic.twitter.com/RoAUUHR3lq
— Jonah Kaplan (@KaplanABC11) April 14, 2020
Protesters clog streets in Michigan over stay-home order…
Lockdowns anti-constitutional?
ANOTHER MONTH: DC extends stay-at-home order through May 15…
BAILOUT CHECKS GO TO THE DEAD!
Trump weighs paying drillers to leave oil in ground amid glut…
Give up location data to return to work?
How GOOGLEAPPLE tracing could turn sick into pariahs…
New Age of Digital Surveillance…
Tech companies step up fight against ‘bad info’…
So much unknown about pandemic because govt keeps lid on it…
1-in-7 New Yorkers May Have Already Gotten Covid-19…
New strain emerging?
Foot sores could be early sign… Frost bite symptoms… Ravages Lungs. Also Affects Brain…
UV light may protect!
Agriculture Secretary Says ‘Plenty of Food’ Despite Disruptions…
FORD Testing Buzzing Wristbands to Keep Workers Apart…
SICK MAP…
MECHANICS WANTED
