Governor Hogan appeared on NBC’s TODAY Show to discuss Maryland’s latest evidence-backed steps towards recovery, as well as his experience leading Baltimore during the civil unrest in 2015.
On Wednesday, after another two weeks of declining hospitalizations, Governor Hogan announced the completion of Stage One of the state’s recovery plan, resuming outdoor dining at restaurants, youth sports, day camps, and outdoor pools with strict safety guidelines. Maryland’s testing positivity rate has also fallen dramatically as the state continues ramping up testing – already greatly exceeding its goal of 10,000 tests per day.
Governor Hogan continues to successfully advocate on behalf of the nation’s governors during this crisis. Earlier this week, President Trump approved Governor Hogan’s request to extend federal funding for COVID-19 National Guard deployments – a key resource for governors on the frontlines. Governor Hogan first made the request for this funding in March, and renewed the issue on a call with President Trump last week.
In addition, as civil unrest breaks out in Minneapolis, Governor Hogan shared a few of the lessons of his experience restoring public safety in Baltimore during the riots in 2015, urging all sides to tone down “inflammatory rhetoric” and work together to lower “the temperature.”
During the 2015 crisis, Governor Hogan called in the National Guard to successfully bring back law and order and walked the streets of Baltimore to listen to the concerns of Marylanders who were peacefully protesting.