GOVERNOR HOGAN: Good afternoon. Joining me today are former CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield, our senior adviser for public health, who has been advising us on our COVID-19 vaccination plan and our science-based plan for fully and safely reopening our state; and Secretary Kelly Schulz of the Maryland Department of Commerce, who has been focused on our economic recovery and who convened 15 industry-specific advisory groups to develop safe and effective business reopening plans.
Just a few minutes ago, I completed another meeting with the White House coronavirus task force and America’s governors. Earlier today I also led a meeting with my entire cabinet. After just over a year of grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, each day brings us closer to seeing a light at the end of this very long tunnel. Maryland continues to have significant improvements in our health metrics. Our case rate per 100,000 has dropped by more than 76% to 12.9%, which is better than 32 other states. Our positivity rate has declined by more than 64% to 3.40, better than 39 other states. The number of nursing homes with active cases has dropped by 59% since the peak in mid-December, and we had zero new resident cases or deaths reported yesterday. Our hospitalizations have dropped 59% from nearly 2,000 to 792, the lowest level since November 10.
In January, all 24 of our jurisdictions were in the federal red zone for case rates. For several weeks now we have had zero counties in the red zone.
We’re conducting surveillance testing at one of the highest rates in the country, and sequencing for coronavirus variants at one of the highest rates in the world, allowing us to quickly trace and track any emerging outbreaks. We’ve done more than 8 million COVID tests and more than 1.6 million vaccines, including more than 250,000 in the last 7 days. We’re averaging 36,258 shots per day, which is an increase of more than 1,100%.
More than half of all Marylanders over 65 and more than half of all of our entire phase 1A, B, and C population has been vaccinated. 98.6% of doses, all the doses provided to us by the federal government, have been deployed, and 95.3% of all doses have been administered. Our vaccination rate is higher than 36 other states. Maryland has administered more vaccines than 31 other states. And more vaccines per long-term care facilities than 37 other states.
We now have 2,424 different distribution points in every jurisdiction across the state. We’re above the national average across the board for first doses, second doses, and total doses, and the CDC today reported that we are leading the nation in the administration of the new J&J vaccine, number one.
The first four state vaccination sites are fully open and operational. The fifth one will open on the Eastern Shore in Salisbury. And today I’m pleased to announce that the western Maryland mass vaccination site in Hagerstown will open the following week on Thursday, March 25th, which is a week ahead of schedule. This will give us mass vaccination sites in every region in the state.
We are also in discussions with a number of jurisdictions regarding additional sites as the supply of vaccines increases. Demand for the vaccine does continue to far outpace the limited supply that states currently receive from the federal government, and on the governors’ call this afternoon, White House officials informed us that unfortunately vaccine supply will remain at virtually the same level for the next 2 weeks, before we finally begin to see a significant increase in vaccine supply.
The critical mission to stamp out this pandemic is far from over. However, all of our vaccine progress, along with all of our sustained positive improvements in positivity, case rate, and hospitalizations have enabled us to continue to follow the science and today take significant steps to further ease more of the mitigation measures that are currently in place.
Effective this Friday, March 12, at 5:00 p.m., capacity limits will be lifted on outdoor and indoor dining at restaurants and bars. They will still be limited to seated and distanced service.
Capacity limits will also be lifted for retail businesses, religious facilities, fitness centers, personal services such as hair and nail salons, and indoor recreational establishments, including casinos, bingo halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks, and other businesses.
Other larger outdoor and indoor venues will expand to 50% capacity. This includes conference and wedding venues, concert venues, conventions, theaters, racing facilities, and other outdoor entertainment and sporting venues, including Camden Yards and Pimlico.
Masking, physical distancing, and other safety protocols will remain in place for all indoor and outdoor businesses and establishments.
Medical adult daycare centers will also reopen, with facilities able to set appropriate restrictions and safety measures..
Quarantine requirements and other restrictions regarding out-of-state travel will also be lifted. A Health Department advisory will remain in place, continuing to encourage Marylanders to be tested upon their return to Maryland. With contact tracing continuing to show transmission among individuals who are working outside the home, particularly in office settings, we encourage employers to continue supporting telework when possible.
The sun is shining. Spring is coming. And the weather is getting warmer. We want to stress that outside activity continues to be safer than indoor activity. And I want to make it clear that the virus is still with us, and it remains important to continue to take precautions to stay safe. The statewide masking order in Maryland remains in full force and effect. This requires the wearing of masks or face coverings at any public indoor facility, including retail establishments, fitness centers, grocery stores, pharmacies, personal services establishments, and the public spaces, all public and private businesses across the state, and when using public transportation.
In addition, masks continue to be required in outdoor public areas whenever it is not possible to maintain physical distancing.
Over the past year all of the data and all of the science have proven that the very simple step of wearing masks continues to be the single best mitigation strategy we have to stop the spread of COVID-19. Maryland is one of the best states in America for mask use, which is one of the reasons why we are doing so much better than most other states on both our health and our economic recovery.
With the pace of vaccinations rapidly rising and our health metrics steadily improving, the lifting of these restrictions is a prudent, positive step in the right direction and an important part of our economic recovery. These steps are made possible because of Marylanders wearing masks, washing their hands, keeping their distance, and following the public health advice. And because our businesses have carefully followed safe reopening practices and public health guidelines in order to keep their employees and their customers safe.
We do need to continue to be vigilant. Businesses or individuals who don’t follow the public health guidance could be endangering their employees, their customers, as well as the public. And we can’t let a few bad actors spoil it for the rest of us who have done such a great job. So let’s continue to be smart. We can’t afford to undo all the tremendous progress that we have made together.
Over the last few weeks, as we marked one year of grappling with this deadly virus, many of us have been recalling our lasts. The last time we ate inside of a restaurant, the last time we celebrated a big occasion with family and friends, the last time we went to a ball game, the last time we took a family vacation. In the weeks and the months ahead, with continued vigilance, together we will instead begin to mark new firsts. Everything won’t look exactly the same just yet, and we do need to continue doing the things that keep us safe. But there can be no doubt that we are closer to that light at the end of the tunnel and a return to some sense of normalcy in our lives. Spring will soon be upon us, and sunnier days are ahead.
At this time I’m going to turn it over to our Secretary of Commerce, Kelly Schulz.
KELLY SCHULZ: Thank you so much, Governor, for your steadfast and determined leadership to get us to this point today, and what a good day it is.
I think we are all entitled to feel good about today’s announcements because we’ve all worked so very hard to get here. You’ve worn your masks, you’ve maintained social distance, you’ve put off family gatherings, you’ve changed the way you’ve lived your lives to help keep yourselves, your families, and your friends and neighbors safe. We’re now starting to reap the benefits of that hard work, and hopefully this is just the beginning.
But as the Governor said, we cannot get complacent. We still have work to do. It’s still going to take patience, and a lot more vaccines and arms, before we’re done with this pandemic. So we need everyone to continue to stay safe, be vigilant, be mindful of the risks we’re still facing.
That being said, Maryland has made tremendous progress. And over the past 12 months we have weathered this storm very well. Last March and April, our state lost more than 388,000 jobs, but by the end of the year, we gained back 65% of those jobs, giving us the best jobs recovery in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Our unemployment rate fell from 10.1% in April to just over 6.3% at the end of the year, well below the national average.
One of the reasons Maryland fared so well compared to other states is because we made the right choices, the smart choices, to stay safe. I want to acknowledge our partners across Maryland’s business community, who have been in communication with us throughout the past year and have provided us with continuous guidance and feedback on how they feel they can reopen safely for their employees and for the general public.
Operating safely is something our businesses focus on day and night. They have shown their commitment to following the guidance and best practices that we developed together over the course of the past year. This easing of mitigation measures is particularly good news for our tourism and hospitality businesses, who have been some of the hardest hit across the state and the nation. This is in addition to the sales tax relief made possible through the Governor’s bipartisan RELIEF Act and the funds that have been provided to our hotels and restaurants in recent months.
Today’s announcement does not mean it’s time to start letting our guard down. It means staying safe works. Wearing masks works. Giving people more distance works. Washing your hands a lot works. That’s how we got to this point, so we should feel good about that, but we still have some work to do.
Remember, it’s not just about being safe. It’s about making sure we feel safe and making sure that the people that come in to our businesses and the general public feel safe to be in our businesses and within our places of employment. Building that confidence is the essential part of our ongoing economic recovery, and I look forward to continuing to do my part, and I know we all continue to do our own part in the state of Maryland. And we’re almost there. Just a little bit more time and I think that we’ll get through this quite well.
With that, I would like to turn it over to my new colleague, Dr. Redfield. Thank you, Doctor.
REDFIELD: Thank you very much. And thank you, Governor.
I want to applaud the Governor for your continued leadership as we work together to put this pandemic behind us. The measures that you’re putting in place today are all sensible steps to get more of the economy reopened in a smart, purposeful way, while keeping in place the powerful mitigation tools that we have to confront COVID-19: Masking, social distancing, hand hygiene, and avoiding crowds, particularly in indoor spaces.
Governor, I also want to congratulate you and your team for getting more than a million Marylanders vaccinated so far, and I want to encourage all Marylanders to get the vaccine as soon as it is their turn. Vaccines are the most important gift that science has given to modern medicine, and the COVID-19 vaccine is the key to this pandemic’s end. But it’s only going to happen if each of us embrace vaccination confidence.
Reopening our economy and getting Marylanders back to doing activities that we value in our daily lives is not just an economic issue; it’s also really a very important public health imperative. The health consequences of prolonged isolation have been well documented now, especially the impact on mental health. Public health professionals are united in our society that we should reopen as soon as we can, doing it in as safe as possible way.
It’s been shown that when things are done with vigilance, as the Governor discussed, in partnership between the public and private sector, we can safely reopen. I think the school systems are an excellent example. Those that have reopened. Many school systems have successfully reopened and had face-to-face learning since last summer, and I want to applaud the progress the state is making to get all schools reopened. It is in the best public health interest of the case to get students back to face-to-face learning.
I also want to take a second to thank the teachers that have said yes and stepped up to returning to the classroom. You too are heroes in this pandemic. Your students will benefit for a lifetime because of your actions, and I ask your colleagues to follow in your footsteps.
The next phase of the pandemic is going to be about keeping the virus at bay as it mutates, and variants are developed to try to get around our counter measures such as the vaccines and the antibody therapies that have been developed, with surveillance testing and aggressive sequencing to identify variants that the Governor alluded to, Maryland has the right infrastructure in place to lead this response.
And finally, I want to echo Governor Hogan’s message from today: Let’s keep our mask on, let’s keep distancing, let’s get more people vaccinated, all so that we can bring this pandemic to an end and get our economy fully back to life. Each of us have a critical role to play in that, and I thank you.
GOVERNOR HOGAN: Thank you.
With that, we’ll take some questions.
SPEAKER: Governor, why now?
GOVERNOR HOGAN: The time is right. You know, we’ve been following a very balanced approach from the beginning of this, from day one, for now more than a year, with all the input and trying to balance both the health and economic recovery of our state. We all get the best advice we can from health experts and business experts, and we believe it’s the right time. Our health metrics are great, as I said, and it’s time to get our economy going.
(Question off mic).
How do we know there’s not going to be a setback? Well, we certainly don’t know. The virus can mutate and thing characterize change. But right now we’re in better position than just about any other state in the country, and it’s time to get people back to work.
(Question off mic).
On the what? Yeah, Camden Yards? So they fall in to the outdoor sporting venues where the capacity will be up to 50%. They still will need to have to put distancing and masking in place, so they may not get to that level. And they’ve been in conversations with both the Health Department and the stadium authority regarding safe plans. They may not want to go to that level, but that’s going to be the limit.
SPEAKER: Graduations for high schools, proms? Your thoughts on that?
GOVERNOR HOGAN: I think as long as we follow all the health advice and we do masking and distancing, then we should be able to get back to some of those normal things in life.
SPEAKER: Thank you, Governor.
(Question off mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: My message to the counties, look, the state law does grant local jurisdictions some powers to take actions that are more restrictive than the state is, but, you know, my advice would be that they should follow the state guidance. It’s been very confusing with a patchwork of different people changing the rules or not being in alignment with one another. We’ve now got to the point where most counties in the state, 21, 22 of them are all in alignment. One or two or three are not. I think it’s better if they do, but a couple of them do have the power to take other action.
SPEAKER: What about the state of emergency?
GOVERNOR HOGAN: The state of emergency still is in effect. We have 1,000 members of the National Guard still called up. We are still enabled to do all the things we need to do with respect to doing the millions of vaccines and tests and allows for federal funding, and we’re going to have to stay in effect.
(Question off mic).
So they had said to us before, they pushed out all the J&J vaccines that they had and told us we might not see any more until the 18th. So that was not a big surprise.
And they still are saying that from the 18th through the end of the month we hopefully will see more. They won’t commit to how much more or whether that’s going to be less or more than we got last week.
They have said that they’re going to ramp up production of Moderna and Pfizer by April 1st and into April and May without a commitment of exactly when. So they’re saying it won’t be in the next 2 weeks but closer to the end of March and April and May and the ramp up promising to get enough vaccines out by the end of May, but it’s not going to be by the end of March.
(Question off mic).
So, you know, I saw the report from the CDC. I don’t know exactly how they arrived at that or what they were talking about. But our orders didn’t take any of that into account. That came out at the same time we were about to announce this. And we have looked at the gathering limits. But I didn’t understand — first they came out and said if you’re fully vaccinated, you can get together, and then they said only in the same households, which people in the same households have already been gathering in the same households. So not sure how that’s going to change, but it doesn’t impact us.
(Question off mic).
I think we’ll have to address that after the session is over. Right now the legislature has a plan. That’s something the State House would have to answer.
(Question off mic).
The most important thing is that we kept the masking orders fully in place, and the distancing requirements fully in place. Many states have not done that, and I think acted a little more rapidly to just get rid of all the mitigation efforts, and we chose not to do that. But lifting capacity limits while still maintaining all those orders we think is a safer approach.
(Question off mic).
No, not that I know of.
(Question off mic).
Well, we want to first make sure people are following the rules which are still seated, distanced designing. You can’t be standing jammed into a bar. That’s still against the regulations. And I’m sure that first we’re going to ask all the businesses to make sure that people comply. And the public health orders are still in effect. And the Health Department and the local jurisdictions will still be able to enforce those regulations.
(Question off mic).
All of our troops were out at the end of January.
SPEAKER: They were out of there?
GOVERNOR HOGAN: Yes.
SPEAKER: Have you responded to the standing order to defense secretary for 2,000 more?
GOVERNOR HOGAN: We’re not sending any more troops to D.C. We have troops deployed overseas and we’re utilizing more than 1,000 right now in our vaccination campaign, and we pulled our last troops out in January. We’re not sending more.
(Question off mic).
So we’ve been trending in a good direction for about a month now. I just mentioned all of the metrics where we’re the lowest since October or November, so yes, we’re seeing a little bit of a leveling, but no increases. It’s not — we’re not going down, but we’re still heading in the right direction, and the numbers are so low, 3% positivity, one of the best in the country. Our transmission rate, our cases per 100,000, all of them look really good. And the fact that we are now I think 54% of the eligible population has been vaccinate and that’s going to ramp up dramatically here by the end of March, beginning of April. We just feel like it’s a good time.
SPEAKER: Last question.
(Question off mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: It is good news. Obviously the Orioles will be working on a safe reopening plan with the stadium authority, Major League Baseball, and with the Health Department. They’ve been working on this for a long time, and they’re going to be very safe. There’s going to be I think distancing when you’re waiting in line, they’re going to be careful about concessions and make sure people are seated away from each other, but hopefully it will be a beautiful day and I look forward to joining with some folks on opening day.
Thank you.
Just a few minutes ago, I completed another meeting with the White House coronavirus task force and America’s governors. Earlier today I also led a meeting with my entire cabinet. After just over a year of grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, each day brings us closer to seeing a light at the end of this very long tunnel. Maryland continues to have significant improvements in our health metrics. Our case rate per 100,000 has dropped by more than 76% to 12.9%, which is better than 32 other states. Our positivity rate has declined by more than 64% to 3.40, better than 39 other states. The number of nursing homes with active cases has dropped by 59% since the peak in mid-December, and we had zero new resident cases or deaths reported yesterday. Our hospitalizations have dropped 59% from nearly 2,000 to 792, the lowest level since November 10.
In January, all 24 of our jurisdictions were in the federal red zone for case rates. For several weeks now we have had zero counties in the red zone.
We’re conducting surveillance testing at one of the highest rates in the country, and sequencing for coronavirus variants at one of the highest rates in the world, allowing us to quickly trace and track any emerging outbreaks. We’ve done more than 8 million COVID tests and more than 1.6 million vaccines, including more than 250,000 in the last 7 days. We’re averaging 36,258 shots per day, which is an increase of more than 1,100%.
More than half of all Marylanders over 65 and more than half of all of our entire phase 1A, B, and C population has been vaccinated. 98.6% of doses, all the doses provided to us by the federal government, have been deployed, and 95.3% of all doses have been administered. Our vaccination rate is higher than 36 other states. Maryland has administered more vaccines than 31 other states. And more vaccines per long-term care facilities than 37 other states.
We now have 2,424 different distribution points in every jurisdiction across the state. We’re above the national average across the board for first doses, second doses, and total doses, and the CDC today reported that we are leading the nation in the administration of the new J&J vaccine, number one.
The first four state vaccination sites are fully open and operational. The fifth one will open on the Eastern Shore in Salisbury. And today I’m pleased to announce that the western Maryland mass vaccination site in Hagerstown will open the following week on Thursday, March 25th, which is a week ahead of schedule. This will give us mass vaccination sites in every region in the state.
We are also in discussions with a number of jurisdictions regarding additional sites as the supply of vaccines increases. Demand for the vaccine does continue to far outpace the limited supply that states currently receive from the federal government, and on the governors’ call this afternoon, White House officials informed us that unfortunately vaccine supply will remain at virtually the same level for the next 2 weeks, before we finally begin to see a significant increase in vaccine supply.
The critical mission to stamp out this pandemic is far from over. However, all of our vaccine progress, along with all of our sustained positive improvements in positivity, case rate, and hospitalizations have enabled us to continue to follow the science and today take significant steps to further ease more of the mitigation measures that are currently in place.
Effective this Friday, March 12, at 5:00 p.m., capacity limits will be lifted on outdoor and indoor dining at restaurants and bars. They will still be limited to seated and distanced service.
Capacity limits will also be lifted for retail businesses, religious facilities, fitness centers, personal services such as hair and nail salons, and indoor recreational establishments, including casinos, bingo halls, bowling alleys, skating rinks, and other businesses.
Other larger outdoor and indoor venues will expand to 50% capacity. This includes conference and wedding venues, concert venues, conventions, theaters, racing facilities, and other outdoor entertainment and sporting venues, including Camden Yards and Pimlico.
Masking, physical distancing, and other safety protocols will remain in place for all indoor and outdoor businesses and establishments.
Medical adult daycare centers will also reopen, with facilities able to set appropriate restrictions and safety measures..
Quarantine requirements and other restrictions regarding out-of-state travel will also be lifted. A Health Department advisory will remain in place, continuing to encourage Marylanders to be tested upon their return to Maryland. With contact tracing continuing to show transmission among individuals who are working outside the home, particularly in office settings, we encourage employers to continue supporting telework when possible.
The sun is shining. Spring is coming. And the weather is getting warmer. We want to stress that outside activity continues to be safer than indoor activity. And I want to make it clear that the virus is still with us, and it remains important to continue to take precautions to stay safe. The statewide masking order in Maryland remains in full force and effect. This requires the wearing of masks or face coverings at any public indoor facility, including retail establishments, fitness centers, grocery stores, pharmacies, personal services establishments, and the public spaces, all public and private businesses across the state, and when using public transportation.
In addition, masks continue to be required in outdoor public areas whenever it is not possible to maintain physical distancing.
Over the past year all of the data and all of the science have proven that the very simple step of wearing masks continues to be the single best mitigation strategy we have to stop the spread of COVID-19. Maryland is one of the best states in America for mask use, which is one of the reasons why we are doing so much better than most other states on both our health and our economic recovery.
With the pace of vaccinations rapidly rising and our health metrics steadily improving, the lifting of these restrictions is a prudent, positive step in the right direction and an important part of our economic recovery. These steps are made possible because of Marylanders wearing masks, washing their hands, keeping their distance, and following the public health advice. And because our businesses have carefully followed safe reopening practices and public health guidelines in order to keep their employees and their customers safe.
We do need to continue to be vigilant. Businesses or individuals who don’t follow the public health guidance could be endangering their employees, their customers, as well as the public. And we can’t let a few bad actors spoil it for the rest of us who have done such a great job. So let’s continue to be smart. We can’t afford to undo all the tremendous progress that we have made together.
Over the last few weeks, as we marked one year of grappling with this deadly virus, many of us have been recalling our lasts. The last time we ate inside of a restaurant, the last time we celebrated a big occasion with family and friends, the last time we went to a ball game, the last time we took a family vacation. In the weeks and the months ahead, with continued vigilance, together we will instead begin to mark new firsts. Everything won’t look exactly the same just yet, and we do need to continue doing the things that keep us safe. But there can be no doubt that we are closer to that light at the end of the tunnel and a return to some sense of normalcy in our lives. Spring will soon be upon us, and sunnier days are ahead.
At this time I’m going to turn it over to our Secretary of Commerce, Kelly Schulz.
KELLY SCHULZ: Thank you so much, Governor, for your steadfast and determined leadership to get us to this point today, and what a good day it is.
I think we are all entitled to feel good about today’s announcements because we’ve all worked so very hard to get here. You’ve worn your masks, you’ve maintained social distance, you’ve put off family gatherings, you’ve changed the way you’ve lived your lives to help keep yourselves, your families, and your friends and neighbors safe. We’re now starting to reap the benefits of that hard work, and hopefully this is just the beginning.
But as the Governor said, we cannot get complacent. We still have work to do. It’s still going to take patience, and a lot more vaccines and arms, before we’re done with this pandemic. So we need everyone to continue to stay safe, be vigilant, be mindful of the risks we’re still facing.
That being said, Maryland has made tremendous progress. And over the past 12 months we have weathered this storm very well. Last March and April, our state lost more than 388,000 jobs, but by the end of the year, we gained back 65% of those jobs, giving us the best jobs recovery in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Our unemployment rate fell from 10.1% in April to just over 6.3% at the end of the year, well below the national average.
One of the reasons Maryland fared so well compared to other states is because we made the right choices, the smart choices, to stay safe. I want to acknowledge our partners across Maryland’s business community, who have been in communication with us throughout the past year and have provided us with continuous guidance and feedback on how they feel they can reopen safely for their employees and for the general public.
Operating safely is something our businesses focus on day and night. They have shown their commitment to following the guidance and best practices that we developed together over the course of the past year. This easing of mitigation measures is particularly good news for our tourism and hospitality businesses, who have been some of the hardest hit across the state and the nation. This is in addition to the sales tax relief made possible through the Governor’s bipartisan RELIEF Act and the funds that have been provided to our hotels and restaurants in recent months.
Today’s announcement does not mean it’s time to start letting our guard down. It means staying safe works. Wearing masks works. Giving people more distance works. Washing your hands a lot works. That’s how we got to this point, so we should feel good about that, but we still have some work to do.
Remember, it’s not just about being safe. It’s about making sure we feel safe and making sure that the people that come in to our businesses and the general public feel safe to be in our businesses and within our places of employment. Building that confidence is the essential part of our ongoing economic recovery, and I look forward to continuing to do my part, and I know we all continue to do our own part in the state of Maryland. And we’re almost there. Just a little bit more time and I think that we’ll get through this quite well.
With that, I would like to turn it over to my new colleague, Dr. Redfield. Thank you, Doctor.
REDFIELD: Thank you very much. And thank you, Governor.
I want to applaud the Governor for your continued leadership as we work together to put this pandemic behind us. The measures that you’re putting in place today are all sensible steps to get more of the economy reopened in a smart, purposeful way, while keeping in place the powerful mitigation tools that we have to confront COVID-19: Masking, social distancing, hand hygiene, and avoiding crowds, particularly in indoor spaces.
Governor, I also want to congratulate you and your team for getting more than a million Marylanders vaccinated so far, and I want to encourage all Marylanders to get the vaccine as soon as it is their turn. Vaccines are the most important gift that science has given to modern medicine, and the COVID-19 vaccine is the key to this pandemic’s end. But it’s only going to happen if each of us embrace vaccination confidence.
Reopening our economy and getting Marylanders back to doing activities that we value in our daily lives is not just an economic issue; it’s also really a very important public health imperative. The health consequences of prolonged isolation have been well documented now, especially the impact on mental health. Public health professionals are united in our society that we should reopen as soon as we can, doing it in as safe as possible way.
It’s been shown that when things are done with vigilance, as the Governor discussed, in partnership between the public and private sector, we can safely reopen. I think the school systems are an excellent example. Those that have reopened. Many school systems have successfully reopened and had face-to-face learning since last summer, and I want to applaud the progress the state is making to get all schools reopened. It is in the best public health interest of the case to get students back to face-to-face learning.
I also want to take a second to thank the teachers that have said yes and stepped up to returning to the classroom. You too are heroes in this pandemic. Your students will benefit for a lifetime because of your actions, and I ask your colleagues to follow in your footsteps.
The next phase of the pandemic is going to be about keeping the virus at bay as it mutates, and variants are developed to try to get around our counter measures such as the vaccines and the antibody therapies that have been developed, with surveillance testing and aggressive sequencing to identify variants that the Governor alluded to, Maryland has the right infrastructure in place to lead this response.
And finally, I want to echo Governor Hogan’s message from today: Let’s keep our mask on, let’s keep distancing, let’s get more people vaccinated, all so that we can bring this pandemic to an end and get our economy fully back to life. Each of us have a critical role to play in that, and I thank you.
GOVERNOR HOGAN: Thank you.
With that, we’ll take some questions.
SPEAKER: Governor, why now?
GOVERNOR HOGAN: The time is right. You know, we’ve been following a very balanced approach from the beginning of this, from day one, for now more than a year, with all the input and trying to balance both the health and economic recovery of our state. We all get the best advice we can from health experts and business experts, and we believe it’s the right time. Our health metrics are great, as I said, and it’s time to get our economy going.
(Question off mic).
How do we know there’s not going to be a setback? Well, we certainly don’t know. The virus can mutate and thing characterize change. But right now we’re in better position than just about any other state in the country, and it’s time to get people back to work.
(Question off mic).
On the what? Yeah, Camden Yards? So they fall in to the outdoor sporting venues where the capacity will be up to 50%. They still will need to have to put distancing and masking in place, so they may not get to that level. And they’ve been in conversations with both the Health Department and the stadium authority regarding safe plans. They may not want to go to that level, but that’s going to be the limit.
SPEAKER: Graduations for high schools, proms? Your thoughts on that?
GOVERNOR HOGAN: I think as long as we follow all the health advice and we do masking and distancing, then we should be able to get back to some of those normal things in life.
SPEAKER: Thank you, Governor.
(Question off mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: My message to the counties, look, the state law does grant local jurisdictions some powers to take actions that are more restrictive than the state is, but, you know, my advice would be that they should follow the state guidance. It’s been very confusing with a patchwork of different people changing the rules or not being in alignment with one another. We’ve now got to the point where most counties in the state, 21, 22 of them are all in alignment. One or two or three are not. I think it’s better if they do, but a couple of them do have the power to take other action.
SPEAKER: What about the state of emergency?
GOVERNOR HOGAN: The state of emergency still is in effect. We have 1,000 members of the National Guard still called up. We are still enabled to do all the things we need to do with respect to doing the millions of vaccines and tests and allows for federal funding, and we’re going to have to stay in effect.
(Question off mic).
So they had said to us before, they pushed out all the J&J vaccines that they had and told us we might not see any more until the 18th. So that was not a big surprise.
And they still are saying that from the 18th through the end of the month we hopefully will see more. They won’t commit to how much more or whether that’s going to be less or more than we got last week.
They have said that they’re going to ramp up production of Moderna and Pfizer by April 1st and into April and May without a commitment of exactly when. So they’re saying it won’t be in the next 2 weeks but closer to the end of March and April and May and the ramp up promising to get enough vaccines out by the end of May, but it’s not going to be by the end of March.
(Question off mic).
So, you know, I saw the report from the CDC. I don’t know exactly how they arrived at that or what they were talking about. But our orders didn’t take any of that into account. That came out at the same time we were about to announce this. And we have looked at the gathering limits. But I didn’t understand — first they came out and said if you’re fully vaccinated, you can get together, and then they said only in the same households, which people in the same households have already been gathering in the same households. So not sure how that’s going to change, but it doesn’t impact us.
(Question off mic).
I think we’ll have to address that after the session is over. Right now the legislature has a plan. That’s something the State House would have to answer.
(Question off mic).
The most important thing is that we kept the masking orders fully in place, and the distancing requirements fully in place. Many states have not done that, and I think acted a little more rapidly to just get rid of all the mitigation efforts, and we chose not to do that. But lifting capacity limits while still maintaining all those orders we think is a safer approach.
(Question off mic).
No, not that I know of.
(Question off mic).
Well, we want to first make sure people are following the rules which are still seated, distanced designing. You can’t be standing jammed into a bar. That’s still against the regulations. And I’m sure that first we’re going to ask all the businesses to make sure that people comply. And the public health orders are still in effect. And the Health Department and the local jurisdictions will still be able to enforce those regulations.
(Question off mic).
All of our troops were out at the end of January.
SPEAKER: They were out of there?
GOVERNOR HOGAN: Yes.
SPEAKER: Have you responded to the standing order to defense secretary for 2,000 more?
GOVERNOR HOGAN: We’re not sending any more troops to D.C. We have troops deployed overseas and we’re utilizing more than 1,000 right now in our vaccination campaign, and we pulled our last troops out in January. We’re not sending more.
(Question off mic).
So we’ve been trending in a good direction for about a month now. I just mentioned all of the metrics where we’re the lowest since October or November, so yes, we’re seeing a little bit of a leveling, but no increases. It’s not — we’re not going down, but we’re still heading in the right direction, and the numbers are so low, 3% positivity, one of the best in the country. Our transmission rate, our cases per 100,000, all of them look really good. And the fact that we are now I think 54% of the eligible population has been vaccinate and that’s going to ramp up dramatically here by the end of March, beginning of April. We just feel like it’s a good time.
SPEAKER: Last question.
(Question off mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: It is good news. Obviously the Orioles will be working on a safe reopening plan with the stadium authority, Major League Baseball, and with the Health Department. They’ve been working on this for a long time, and they’re going to be very safe. There’s going to be I think distancing when you’re waiting in line, they’re going to be careful about concessions and make sure people are seated away from each other, but hopefully it will be a beautiful day and I look forward to joining with some folks on opening day.
Thank you.