Governor Hogan Urging Marylanders to Stay Home to Slow Spread of COVID-19

On Monday, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced the closure of non-essential businesses and urged residents to stay home to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

The closure of non-essential businesses went into effect at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. This order requires the closure of businesses not included in new federal guidelines for critical infrastructure sectors, meaning that businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and bars and restaurants (for carry-out, drive-through, and delivery services only) are among those that can remain open at this time.

Along with ordering the closure of non-essential businesses, Governor Hogan also stated that gatherings larger than 10 people are prohibited. While his latest announcement is not a shelter-in-place order, the Governor is urging Marylanders to only leave home for essential reasons, follow directives on gatherings, and practice social distancing to help flatten the curve.

“We are telling all Marylanders to follow all of the directives and to follow the state law against crowds of more than ten people,” said Governor Hogan. “And we are telling you, unless you have an essential reason to leave your house, stay in your home. Today’s actions of closing non-essential businesses are absolutely necessary to protect the health of Marylanders and to save lives.”

Monday’s announcement is available on Governor.Maryland.Gov. The full executive order is available here.

During this time, the Canton Community Association urges community members to stay safe by following federal, state, and local guidelines to help slow the spread of COVID-19. For continual updates, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram.