No New Mask Mandate Despite Surge In COVID-19 Cases, Gov. Larry Hogan Says

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Gov. Larry Hogan said Tuesday that while he is concerned about the Delta variant of COVID-19, he has no plans to reinstate a mask mandate.

"If you want to stay out of the hospital and you want to avoid dying, you should get the vaccine," Hogan said.

Hogan said that Maryland remains one of the most vaccinated states in America. More than 77% of all people 18 and older have received at least one dose.

People now have to wade through the varying mask requirements of private businesses large and small. Many are mandating their employees again wear masks.

"All these conflicting messages are reaching the consumer as well as the business owners and it really muddles the waters," said Bill Thorne of the National Retail Federation.

McDonald's is among those companies reinstating a mask requirement for both customers and employees.

In Anne Arundel County starting Thursday, there will be a mask mandate for entering all county-owned buildings like libraries.

"People should be aware of what's going on. It got better, and then it got worse," said Alicia Andre of Anne Arundel County. "I think people should always have the mask—make sure that everyone's safe."

Baltimore city is not adding new restrictions at this point. The city has seen a 374% increase in cases but no new deaths compared to four weeks ago. The positivity rate is below the statewide average.

Anne Arundel, Cecil and Worcester counties are among those in Maryland the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists as having "substantial transmission" of the virus, where mask-wearing indoors is recommended regardless of whether you are vaccinated or not.

On the education front, Baltimore County school board members met for the first time since requiring masks for everyone in school buildings. School leaders said they do not know how long they will keep that policy in place.

"I think it's more fluid because we need to be looking at trends, and we need to be looking at the context of where the cases are really with the population of students and staff in our schools," said Deborah Somerville, who coordinates the school district's office of health services.

School officials also said they are still looking at how best to enforce the mask mandate and how they will know whether staff are vaccinated.

"Probably, it would be a voluntarily sharing, I mean that staff would have to share their vaccine status," Somerville said.

As for outdoor athletics, masking would not be required on the field, but school officials would like people to wear masks on the sidelines. They are still looking at better screening methods for indoor sports.

For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.

In:
• Maryland
• COVID-19
• Delta Variant