Annapolis Officials Extend State Of Emergency

ANNAPOLIS, MD — All city offices will remain closed and all city-sponsored events and activities will not be held until at least June 10 after the Annapolis City Council extended the city's state of emergency for an additional 30 days. The decision was made at the city council's Monday meeting.

Mayor Gavin Buckley first declared a state of emergency in March in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The measure passed unanimously at the time. During this week's council meeting, Buckley emphasized the important of continuing to practice social distancing and impressed upon constituents the importance of wearing a mask when out of the home.

The Maryland Department of Health reported Wednesday morning that 34,812 people have tested positive for the new coronavirus. Staff and residents at congregate living facilities account for 7,538, or about 21.6 percent, of the coronavirus cases in Maryland. Residents of these facilities alone represent 15.3 percent of the state's cases. A total of 1,694 Marylanders have died from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, officials reported Wednesday morning. An additional 115 have COVID-19 listed as a cause of death on their death certificates, authorities say, with test results pending.

Last week, Hogan said hospitalizations were trending downward and "even more encouraging is that our ICU numbers have been basically flat."

"If these trends continue into next week, we will be ready to lift the stay-at-home order and to begin stage one of our recovery plan," he said.

Hogan is holding a news conference regarding Stage One of the "Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery" at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Maryland State House in Annapolis. The first phase of the plan would allow for "certain types of businesses and lower-risk community, religious and quality-of-life activities" to resume, he said. Effective May 7, Hogan lifted restrictions on some services such as elective medical procedures and he opened amenities such as beaches and playgrounds at state parks. Golf courses were able to reopen, and activities such as boating and fishing were again permitted.