Hogan's MD Coronavirus Warning: Don't Ignore Social Distancing
This article originally appeared on the Annapolis Patch
ANNAPOLIS, MD — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Sunday chided people for flouting public health officials' social distancing rules, saying they are "kidding themselves" by thinking they can go on spring break or continue with everyday life, business as usual.
Hogan — who has emerged as an early leader in the fight against the coronavirus — made the statement in an interview with Chuck Todd on NBC News' "Meet the Press." During the interview, Todd showed a picture of people crowding around the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin and asked Hogan whether the inability for Maryland, D.C., and Virginia to operate as a region was an issue.
"We're all taking actions and trying to work together, but yeah, the social distancing is not being enforced and it's a little crazy to see the kind of crowds at the cherry blossoms," Hogan said. "I mean, people have to listen. Those people that are out there, you are endangering not only yourselves but your fellow citizens by not listening to these warnings."
The Republican governor urged more people to take COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, more seriously.
"This no longer is just about older people," Hogan continued. "We had a 10-month-old, a 5-year-old who have gotten this disease. So people are kidding themselves if they think they should just go on spring break or enjoy being out there, just as business as normal. We've gotta get people off the streets and out of these crowds. It's absolutely essential."
As of Sunday, there are 244 confirmed cases in Maryland.
On Saturday, the state confirmed its third coronavirus fatality. The patient was a Montgomery County woman in her 40s who suffered from underlying medical conditions.
A Prince George's County man in his 60s was the state's first coronavirus fatality, while the second victim was a Baltimore County man in his 60s. Both patients had underlying medical conditions, authorities said.
