Annapolis, MD- Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced that he will hold a Wednesday, August 18, 2021, 2 p.m. COVID-19 Update press conference.
While the Governor did not elaborate on the content other than an update, the state and country are dealing with the Delta variant of the virus. In the past week, Maryland had had 6,385 new cases, with 30 deaths. A total of 161,978 tests were conducted. Maryland’s positivity rate is 3.94%. Maryland’s positivity rate has remained under 5% since late January 2021.
In a previous press conference, Hogan announced that some state employees would be required to get a vaccine or submit to weekly testing beginning September 1, 2021.
He also stated that the state was not currently considering imposing any new COVID-related restrictions.
“The state is not imposing any new restrictions or mandates at this time. Mask-mandates or shutdowns will not be able to eradicate the threat of the virus or this Delta variant. The purpose of those mitigation measures last year, when there was no vaccine or any kind or widespread testing or PPE, was to save lives and keep hospitals from overflowing,” Hogan said at the August 5, 2021 press conference.
The Southern Maryland Chronicle will bring you an update on the Governor’s press conference later today.
