ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The state of Maryland has lifted its COVID-19 state of emergency, effective Thursday, July 1, but Gov. Larry Hogan says the fight against the pandemic is not over.
During his COVID-19 news conference back on June 15, Hogan emphasized this means masks will no longer be required anywhere in the state, but businesses and schools, camps and child care facilities can still set their own policies.
The state will initiate a 45-day grace period for residents starting July 1 through August 15 to transition to normal lives during the pandemic. During this period, certain regulations will continue to be relaxed to complete the transition out of the pandemic. The additional days will allow residents to renew expired driver’s licenses, extend the moratorium on evictions related to COVID-19, and give health officials time to transition from emergency operations.
Hogan said that declaring the end of the state of emergency will not impact the state's access to federal funds.
"It's not a mission accomplished. Our work is not over. We're transitioning from a state of emergency to another operation," Hogan said. “Each and every one of you—your actions—have made this day possible. I am so proud of our state and I’m grateful to have had this honor to serve as your governor. Thank you all for being Maryland Strong.”
Maryland has beaten and surpassed the country's goal in having at least 70% of adults 18 and older vaccinated with at least one COVID-19 dose by July 4. To date, 72.2% of adults in Maryland have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine--ahead of 40 other states and has the second-lowest case rate in the nation.
Hogan said the state has also surpassed 6.5 million COVID-19 vaccinations, and its 7-day positivity rate has dropped to a record low of 0.82%.
The state is also reporting an 80% decrease in COVID-19 hospitalizations since mid-April.
Following the announcement from Governor Hogan on Tuesday, Maryland Nurses Association President Charlotte Wood looked back on the last 15 months and said the rollback of the state of emergency marked an important milestone.
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"I would compare (the last year) to a roller coaster. There were issues where we lost members of our profession as a result of the lack of supplies and equipment," she said. "I really believe that people put their best foot forward after they got the information that they needed.”
However, Wood warned that COVID-19 variants still posed a danger to people around Maryland and the country.
Despite the end of state restrictions in July, she hoped others would keep wearing masks and practicing good hygiene.
"We still need to understand that there is a fair percentage of people who have not gotten vaccinated yet," Wood said. "Healthcare workers and healthcare providers of all types will continue to have to take certain levels of precaution. You don’t know who has been vaccinated and who has not been vaccinated. It’s critical that we continue to maintain good hygiene.”
After helping out on the front lines and coordinating resources and staff around the state, she hoped the next few months would bring an even greater decline in COVID cases.
"This year has been fairly intense for me," Wood said. "We’re coming back and that’s the most important thing is that we’re coming back now.”
Click here for more information on how you can get vaccinated in Maryland. Or you can call 1-855-MD-GOVAX (1-855-634-6829). The call center is available seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.