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Saturday, June 06, 2020

Hogan shouldn’t have lifted Maryland’s stay-at-home order

When Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced he was lifting the statewide stay-at-home order a few weeks ago, I was ecstatic. Hogan has repeatedly demonstrated his commitment to a data-driven approach and an opposition to prematurely reopening the state. I thought Hogan’s decision to lift this order could only mean we were beginning to slowly and safely return to normalcy.

But I was subsequently confused when I received an email from Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich telling residents that the county was still closed. After carefully rereading Hogan’s statement, I realized Hogan had cautiously added that the logistics of reopening should be left to the discretion of local leaders as not all counties are experiencing the same number of cases.

Thus, one of the only tangible impacts of this announcement was a transfer of responsibility from the state to municipal governments. Hogan’s veiled statement demonstrates a lack of leadership in this critical period that has not only jeopardized the health of Marylanders but also bred unnecessary confusion.

After spending months in quarantine, it’s only natural to expect people to become restless. Since stay-at-home orders were initially enacted in March, people across the nation have begun going outside more frequently. In the wake of several police brutality incidents, thousands around the country have even taken to the streets to protest racial injustice.

As a result, it’s extremely important that any updates regarding COVID-19 are clearly communicated and sufficiently backed by evidence. By lifting the stay-at-home order, Hogan essentially gave the green light for everyone in Maryland to resume their normal activities. Scenes from Ocean City over Memorial Day weekend show how desperate people are to go outside — even if it means risking infection. Given these circumstances, Hogan should have only lifted the statewide stay-at-home order when he had complete confidence the spread of COVID-19 has plateaued.

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Adolph Hogan did this so he could try an weasel out of his Hitler tactics just like his Democrat buddy Cuomo.

Willy said...

Restaurants can not open, but all of these protests are allowed to go one. My family is limited on number of guests at gatherings, but once again these protests are allowed. The whole office involved killing sickens me. Unfortunately as soon as the attacks on police, looting businesses and attacking innocent people started they lost me.

Anonymous said...

Hogan should have his guts split open and his intestines pulled out then fed to dogs as he watches!

Anonymous said...

Northwest Woodsman: The author is just another Marxist, leftist democrat that just can’t give it upon the hope that it will ruin President Trumps re-election.

Anonymous said...

NO , keep the stay at home order , so our Unemployment benefits
don't get taken away !!!
Maryland owes us !!! So does the Federal Govt , who had better soon
extend benefits for the Rest of the year !!!

Anonymous said...

4:57
I thought Freemasons cut the throat when one of them tells the secrets. I didn’t know all of this you are talking about. Wow!