Dear
Marylanders, Today,
Maryland state health officials reported a record high 1,869 new cases of
COVID-19, and total hospitalizations were at their highest levels since June
11. The weeks and months ahead will be the most difficult we have faced, and
our primary goals must continue to be saving lives and preventing our
hospitals from overflowing. 
From
day one of the pandemic, I have never hesitated to take the stepsI believed
were necessary to keep the people of Maryland safe and I will continue to do
so. The following actions were announced this week: - Indoor dining. Indoor operations for bars and restaurants have been
reduced from 75% to 50%. Bars and restaurants are permitted to be open
for seated and distanced service only, with strict capacity
restrictions.
- Indoor gatherings. With contact tracing data showing an uptick in cases
resulting from family gatherings and house parties, state health
officials have issued a public health advisory strongly discouraging
indoor gatherings of 25 people or more.
- Travel advisory. Marylanders are strongly advised against traveling
to any state with a positivity rate above 10% or any state with average
case rates above 20 per 100K. Anyone traveling from these states should
get tested and self-quarantine while awaiting results. Marylanders are
advised to postpone or cancel travel to these areas until their positivity
and/or case rates decline.
- Mandatory telework. A period of mandatory telework has been implemented
across state agencies, except for essential direct public-facing
services and other essential personnel. State officials strongly
encourage all businesses to take immediate steps to expand telework.
- Hospital surge capacity. State health officials have issued an emergency order
expanding hospital surge capacity that provides state EMS officials with
the flexibility to shift patients to alternate care sites and to add
capacity at those sites if the need arises.
- Nursing homes and assisted living facilities. State health officials have issued new guidance for
slowing the spread of COVID-19 at nursing homes and assisted living
facilities. Marylanders should stay home if sick and get tested before
they visit their loved ones.
I
also want to remind Marylanders that we have a statewide masking order in
effect. It requires everyone to wear masks or face coverings in the public
spaces of all businesses across the state and at outdoor public areas when it
is not possible to maintain physical distancing.
Or to put it simply, just wear the
damn mask.
Stay
safe, stay #MarylandStrong. Sincerely, 
On
November 10, the Maryland Department of Health launched MD
COVID Alert, a contact tracing app for Marylanders to opt into COVID-19
exposure notifications on their smartphones. MD COVID Alert uses Bluetooth to
notify users who may have been exposed to someone who tested positive for the
virus. 
View this message as a URL: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MDGOV/bulletins/2ac6b11
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