This week Governor Hogan announced new vaccination requirements for state employees in congregate settings and Baltimore City and Montgomery County announced the reinstitution of mask wearing requirements in indoor spaces.

From WYPR’s coverage of Mayor Brandon Scott’s announcement:

Starting Aug. 9 at 9:00.am., masks will be required at indoor spaces regardless of vaccination status. Masks have already been required at city buildings.

New COVID-19 cases have risen 374% over the last four weeks, according to city health data. The city’s testing positivity rate rose nearly the same amount over the same time period. Baltimore has seen about 71 patients hospitalized over the last seven days, an increase from two weeks earlier.

These data points indicate that the city should return to a previous phase of a reopening, according to guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.

In Montgomery County, the County Council acting as the Board of Health, voted unanimously this week to require that all residents, regardless of vaccination status, wear face coverings indoors once Montgomery County has become an area of “substantial transmission” of COVID-19. The Board of Health regulation mandating indoor masks will take effect Saturday, Aug. 7 at 12:01 a.m.

From Montgomery County’s media page:

The regulation is consistent with new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance. County leaders say reinstating a mask requirement indoors is a proactive step in preventing the further spread of the virus as the Delta variant sweeps the nation. Although many residents are vaccinated, additional layered prevention strategies will be needed in the short term to keep people safe according to health officials.

County Council President Tom Hucker says he hopes this will help protect residents against the dangerous Delta variant, as he encourages unvaccinated residents to get their shots.

At the state level, Governor Hogan announced new vaccination protocols for state employees who work in congregate settings. From the Governor’s Press Release:

Effective September 1, employees in 48 state facilities will be required to show proof of vaccination, or adhere to strict face covering requirements and submit to regular, ongoing COVID-19 testing.

New vaccination protocols will apply to state employees in the following agencies:

  • Department of Health (11 state health care facilities)
  • Department of Juvenile Services (12 facilities)
  • Department of Public Safety and Corrections (6 detention centers and 18 correctional facilities)
  • Department of Veterans Affairs (Charlotte Hall Veterans Home)

State employees in these facilities will need to receive their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by September 1. Anyone attempting to provide false proof of vaccination will be subject to disciplinary action. Read the Maryland Department of Health order.

Watch today’s press conference.
View the slides from today’s press conference.