Per the State of Maryland:
ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan today announced that the State of Maryland’s COVID-19 positivity rate has dropped below 3% for the first time since early November, as the state’s health metrics continue to decline.
Last week the Montgomery County Council, acting as the Board of Health, announced it will not be introducing a new Board of Health regulation to extend the indoor mask requirement. This allows the current Board of Health regulation to terminate tonight (Monday, February 21st) at 11:59pm.
What does this mean?
The Maryland Department of Health has posted an update regarding the “network security incident” that caused its website to be offline several weeks last December, confirming that the incident was the result of a ransomware attack.
During that time the MDH was not able to update its COVID-19 portal with daily case rates, testing, and deaths.
A Montgomery County Circuit Court judge has ordered the state of Maryland to reconsider its decision to award a $54 million contract to Accelerate Maryland Partners, an international conglomerate comprised of toll road developer Transurb, and Australian financial services group Macquarie, according to a report by Maryland Matters.
On Thursday, Judge John M. Maloney ruled that Maryland Department of Transportation was wrong to reject others bids on the project based on timeliness grounds.
Per the State of Maryland:
ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan today announced that the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) will begin offering COVID-19 vaccinations at Maryland’s six casinos. The casino-based vaccination clinics further expands locations where Marylanders can get fully protected from COVID-19 and its variants. The expansion is part of the governor’s booster action plan, which includes the $2 million VaxCash 2.0 Promotion with the Maryland Lottery to further incentivize Marylanders to get a booster shot.
Per the State of Maryland:
ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan today announced continued declines in the state’s COVID-19 health metrics, including hospitalizations dropping below 700—now more than five times lower than the Omicron peak last month.
Per the State of Maryland:
ANNAPOLIS, MD—With the state’s health metrics continuing to substantially decline, Governor Larry Hogan today announced that the requirement for masks and face coverings to be worn in state buildings will end next week.
Comptroller Franchot urges Marylanders to shop local, get tax-free deals and protect the environment with ENERGY STAR appliances
Comptroller Peter Franchot urges Marylanders to save the environment and their hard-earned dollars during Shop Maryland Energy Weekend, which runs February 19-21.
Personal finance website WalletHub has released its list on 2022’s “Most and Least Educated States in America” with Maryland listed as the second most educated state.
“One of the biggest difficulties for education in the past two years has been the COVID-19 pandemic, and colleges currently face the struggle of balancing campus safety with returning to in-person classes. Amid these struggles, some states are able to provide safe, quality education more than others”, writes WalletHub.
Per Montgomery County:
ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan today announced that the state’s COVID-19 positivity rate has dropped below 5%—another critical milestone as Maryland’s health metrics continue to substantially decline.
Yesterday, Governor Larry Hogan called on the Maryland State Board of Education to rescind its school mask policy, citing the state’s dramatically improved health metrics, the widespread availability of vaccines for school age children, and the growing consensus among medical professionals, parents, and bipartisan state officials.
The Maryland State Board of Education provided a response last night, stating that the school mask policy will not be dropped until a vaccination level of 80% is reached and transmission levels drop.