Dining Debate, Racial Protests, Jimmy Buffet: Top MD News Of 2020
MARYLAND — Face masks used to be the epitome of a relaxing spa day. Now, they are inseparable from 2020: a year ravaged by a global pandemic.
Nobody escaped untouched. More than a quarter-million Marylanders tested positive, and 5,600 died.
Shutdowns saved lives but threatened livelihoods. Classic businesses shuttered up. Unemployment reached record levels.
This was the year of health crises and economic turmoil. This was the year of the coronavirus pandemic. This was 2020.
Coronavirus Onset
The first Marylanders tested positive for coronavirus on March 5. All three had traveled overseas, officials said.
Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency the same day. The move allowed him to access resources to help the state's coronavirus response.
Confirmation the virus claimed its first Maryland victim was made on March 18. The Prince George's County man was in his 60s and had an underlying medical condition, Hogan noted.
By March 23, the governor ordered all nonessential businesses to close. This signaled the start of the economic downfall that would follow.
"This is an exceptionally challenging time for Marylanders and for all Americans," Hogan said at the start of the shutdown. "None of us really know how bad it's going to get or how long it's going to last."
Economic Impacts
With restrictions continuing into the spring, businesses found themselves strapped for cash. Local governments offered grants to small businesses after Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, And Economic Security Act, better known as the CARES Act.
The stimulus wasn't enough. Businesses started falling one-by-one. A coffee shop remodeled by chef Gordon Ramsey, the "best club in Annapolis," a semi-professional basketball team: all gone.
"Please take this for real, everybody," Tony Marciante said in April as he temporarily closed his Bethesda restaurant, named Chef Tony's."This thing is no joke."
With establishments going out of business, hundreds of thousands lost their jobs. The downturn peaked in the week ending on May 2, when 109,263 Marylanders filed their first unemployment claims.
The statewide jobless rate ballooned to 10.1 percent in April. In comparison, 3.3 percent of Marylanders were without work the month prior.
Reopen Maryland
After a month of quarantine, some residents grew angry. They took to the streets on April 18, organizing a car rally through Annapolis.
Protesters toted signs reading "We are all essential, reopen MD," "Open up our churches, we need Communion" and "Freedom over fear."
With infections starting to plateau, Hogan lifted the stay-at-home order on May 15. This first phase of recovery allowed retailers, salons and religious facilities to reopen at half capacity.
Cases continued to decline, and more businesses reopened as Maryland entered stage two in mid-June. Indoor dining reopened at 50 percent capacity on June 12. Gyms and malls opened their doors to half their clientele a week later.
Independence Day thwarted this progress, however. Holiday parties rekindled infection rates, doubling daily cases in less than a month. Maryland spent all of July and August battling this second wave of infections.
After cases reached another lull, Hogan permitted all counties to move into the third and final period of recovery on Sept. 11. When jurisdictions decided to make the switch, they had the governor's blessing to open all their businesses.
Some counties remained reluctant to fully reopen, especially as the fall coronavirus surge began to take hold. Others never made the move into phase three.
Cases mounted after Halloween, leading Hogan to reduce bar and restaurant capacities on Nov. 11. That wasn't enough, as infections soared following Thanksgiving and eventually doubled their springtime highs. Coronavirus patients pushed 29 hospitals to the brink of overflow.
Leaders from the state's eight largest districts decided it was time to act. On a Dec. 9 videoconference, several officials called for more regulations. By the next afternoon, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Montgomery County and Prince George's County had announced plans to temporarily halt indoor dining.
Restaurateurs took the orders to court, finding mixed success. One judge paused the four-week ban on indoor dining in Anne Arundel County, while another upheld the Montgomery County restrictions.
In Howard County, the reopening debate extended to schools. The Board of Education voted this month to delay hybrid learning. The board's student member cast a key vote in favor of the pushback.
Some parents cried out, claiming a minor should not be allowed to vote on such a consequential measure. A duo of Howard County parents sued the school system, saying the student's vote was illegitimate.
"Giving a high school student the right to vote on school board decisions violates Maryland's constitution because the student is not 18 years old," the lawsuit said.
These battles are still playing out in court.
Marylanders Stick Together
Though the pandemic highlighted divisions, many Marylanders banded together to solve emerging problems. For example, the early days of the pandemic exposed the nation's undersized stockpile of personal protective equipment.
One Montgomery County distillery owner noticed a shortage of hand sanitizer and the ensuing price gouging on the remaining product. He stepped up and swapped his alcohol sales for sanitizer distribution.
"We switched our production literally overnight," Edgardo Zuniga, the owner and founder of Twin Valley Distillers, told Patch in March. "We started seeing the situation coming from China, then to Europe. It was moving fast and we thought, 'We have to do something.'"
Marylanders' creative spirit continued when the virus interrupted religious services. One Bowie priest decided to host drive-thru confessions. This ingenuity continued the holy tradition for the parish of St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church.
"The church no longer has Mass, but there's still an opportunity to talk with a priest," the Rev. Scott Holmer said in a March interview with Patch. "I think that's very comforting for people, especially when things are going so crazy."
With the newfound free time, locals also took to the trails. Hiking, camping and kayaking became recreational favorites, and Marylanders spent more time outdoors.
Hogan's Handling
The brunt of the pandemic fell on the shoulders of the nation's governors. When the federal government was slow to distribute coronavirus tests, Hogan looked elsewhere.
He leveraged his unique relationship with the Republic of Korea to buy 500,000 coronavirus test kits from a South Korean company in April. The governor said the deal wouldn't have been possible without first lady Yumi Hogan, who was born in South Korea.
The $9.5 million purchase eventually drew backlash. Many tests in the first shipment were unusable, as the instructions did not match those approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, reports said.
Maryland replaced those initial kits, but only after paying another $2.5 million, reports said. Hogan dismissed these allegations as partisan attacks, but critics said he should have been more transparent about the problems.
The governor also led the push for expanded federal coronavirus relief. Before Congress passed a second stimulus package, Hogan committed more than $500 million of state money to support Maryland businesses.
As the chair of the National Governors Association, Hogan's quick regulations, unique test purchase and criticism of the president's decentralized approach thrust him into national prominence. Hogan garnered more coverage over the summer when he released a book, raising speculation that he may run for president in 2024.
Retailers are monetizing Hogan's popularity. The National Bobblehead Museum and Hall of Fame released a Hogan bobblehead, whose sales will raise money for PPE across the country. Route One Apparel, a Maryland company, sells a face covering that says "Wear the damn mask," a slogan that Hogan regularly used.
Now, Hogan's main task is running the state's coronavirus vaccination plan. About 29,000 Marylanders have already gotten their first dose of the immunization.
Medical workers and first responders, along with residents and workers at long-term care facilities, are first in line to get the shot. It will be months before the inoculation is available to the general public.
Protests Against Racial Injustice
While the country battled its coronavirus outbreak, protests against racial injustice swept through the nation. Maryland was no exception. Activists demanded police reform after the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in May while a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.
For a few weeks in July, a crab restaurant became the center of debate after the owner shared a controversial statement on social media.
"There is one place I bet protesters/rioters won't light on fire or break into or even block the road to…the social services building," Vince Meyer, owner of Vince's Crab House, posted on Facebook.
Protests erupted at the chain's Middle River and Fallston locations. Vince Meyer eventually apologized for his comments and closed his restaurants for nine days out of respect.
"The past month has been hell, to be quite honest," Vince Meyer's mother, Brenda Meyer, said.
Protests continued in Bowie, where a group of moms stood up for their cause. The mothers were part of the Moms Offering Moms Support Club, also known as the MOMS Club.
This international organization refused to say "Black lives matter" when its diverse members called on the group for support. The club's leadership said the statement was too "political" and could compromise their nonprofit status. In reality, this does not violate any nonprofit laws.
The Bowie mothers decided that was unacceptable and disbanded their chapter. This added to a nationwide exodus from the MOMS Club.
"I see the sorrow in their eyes," Carrie Long, former president of the Bowie chapter, told Patch in September. "I see the grief they are feeling as they have to teach their kids that they aren't going to be treated equally."
As demonstrations continued, one protester lost her job. She was fired in September after a picture circulated, appearing to show her giving an obscene gesture to Republican campaign memorabilia.
The accused woman was a teacher at the John Carroll School, a private school in Bel Air. The photo displays a woman flashing the middle finger to a bumper sticker supporting President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
"John Carroll has given kids severe punishments based on their social media posts and private messages," a petition said, urging the school to fire the accused teacher. "If John Carroll is really about equality and fairness, the administration will take action."
Celebrity Sightings
In brighter news, a few celebrities visited Maryland this year. One even took a tour of Maryland's treasured Chesapeake Bay.
Tropical musician Jimmy Buffet boated around the bay in October, stopping in Anne Arundel, Cecil and Harford Counties. The singer of "Margaritaville" paddle boarded near the Concord Point Lighthouse in Havre de Grace and docked at the Chesapeake Inne Restaurant and Marina in Chesapeake City.
While in Annapolis, Buffet ventured out to Thomas Point Shoal Light and recorded two songs. A local publication, called SpinSheet Magazine, sponsored the event.
"Appreciate the hospitality!" Buffett said in a Facebook post thanking the magazine and the lighthouse manager.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson also made a stop in the state. The actor and former wrestler swung by the Bethesda headquarters of Total Wine & More in January to promote his new liquor brand.
"Ladies and gents, I proudly bring you, TEREMANA TEQUILA," Johnson posted on Instagram. "TERA is meant to represent 'Terre' which means of the earth and MANA is our powerful Polynesian spirit that guides us. Spirit of the earth."
Editor's Note: Patch editors Deb Belt, Kristin Danley-Greiner, Alessia Grunberger, Elizabeth Janney and Michael O'Connell contributed reporting to this article.
Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.
This article originally appeared on the Annapolis Patch
