After another two weeks of declining hospitalizations, yesterday, Governor Hogan announced Maryland would begin Stage Two of its recovery plan, reopening non-essential businesses and personal services. This comes as Maryland continues to dramatically increase testing, with the state’s positivity rate declining into the single digits and the launching of a new testing lab at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Governor Hogan also addressed the “senseless murder of George Floyd,” calling the horrific event “another reminder that we still have a long way to go to live up to our nation’s highest ideals.” Governor Hogan praised Baltimore City’s peaceful protests for setting “an example for the rest of America” about how to express frustrations peacefully while working with law enforcement to stop “a small group of people with a violent agenda.”