Governor Larry Hogan has declared a 30-day state of emergency in the face of surging hospitalizations due to COVID-19.
Today I declared a 30-day state of emergency to take urgent short-term actions to combat the current COVID-19 surge. We are also mobilizing 1,000 members of the @MDNG to assist with the state's emergency pandemic response.
Details: https://t.co/34vJEkvB5q pic.twitter.com/voPHrXqo5l
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) January 4, 2022
The Maryland State Department of Health lists 3,057 patients hospitalized with Covid-19, a 500% increase in the past seven weeks. Hogan stated he expects the surge to continue for the next four to six weeks with hospitalizations rising to more than 5,000 patients.
Currently, the Department of Health lists more than 116,000 cases of Covid-19 in Montgomery County.
To assist local and state health officials, the governor will deploy 1,000 members of the Maryland National Guard. Most will handle duties related to Covid testing at 2o new testing sites around the state. The new sites will help relieve the current pressure on hospital emergency rooms to respond to Covid symptoms.
In the meantime, the governor urged state residents to observe the now-classic Covid protocols of masking, social distance, and avoiding communal settings.
