emergency

Bulletin: Talbot Halts New Stays at Short-Term Rentals, B&Bs

April 1, 2020 by Spy Desk

Talbot County’s short-term rentals and bed and breakfasts may not accept any new guests after March 31 and may not take new reservations.

The Talbot County Council imposed the new restrictions Tuesday afternoon as it amended the county’s declaration of emergency for COVID-19.

The amended order states:

a. No new reservations shall be made until the expiration of this First Amended Declaration or further amendment by Council.

b. No occupancies of short term rental or bed and breakfast properties may begin after March 31, 2020, until the expiration of this First Amended Declaration or further amendment by Council.

Guests staying in Talbot County as of Tuesday may remain through the end of their current booking and may extend their stay “provided that (i) the owner provides the Talbot County Department of Planning and Zoning the names of all such guests and the dates by which all current guests will be vacating the premises, and (ii) that the owner and all guests comply with Governor Hogan’s executive orders, namely prohibition on large gatherings and the stay-at-home order, as well as complying with all other laws, rules, and regulations governing short-term rentals and bed and breakfasts.”

The order does allow new reservations to be made “for guests who are deemed by federal, State, or local governmental authorities as essential personnel needed to help respond to the spread of COVID-19 in Talbot County, including, without limitation, doctors, nurses, emergency first responders, law enforcement, and fire fighters, provided that the owner provides the Talbot County Department of Planning and Zoning the names of all such guests, their status as essential personnel, and the dates by which they will be vacating the premises.”

This story will be updated with the county council’s discussion about the amended order.

Talbot Closes County Buildings to Public, Suspends Gov’t. Meetings

March 16, 2020 by John Griep

Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Talbot council unanimously approved an emergency declaration Monday afternoon, closing government buildings to the public and suspending board and commission meetings, including county council meetings.

The declaration of emergency is in effect for 30 days, but may be extended as needed.

The Talbot County Council also ordered that the expiration dates of any licenses and permits issued by the county that would expire by April 30 or the termination of the governor’s state of emergency, whichever is later, would be extended to the later of May 31 or within 30 days after the governor’s state of emergency is lifted.

“This is an all-hands-on-deck situation,” Talbot Council President Corey Pack said. “These are very trying times — when you hear the numbers coming out of Italy (300 dead in one day). Let us not be naive to think it can’t happen to us.

“The shutdowns, the social distancing, the washing of the hands, … all those things add up,” he said. “There is hope in the midst of great despair, in the midst of great worry.”

Pack pointed county residents to two websites — talbotcovid19.org and talbotdes.org — for additional information about COVID-19.

“The governor has done a great job to make sure that the citizens are safe,” Vice President Chuck Callahan said. “You really have to look at this as a safety measure. You have to shove everything aside.

“We’re here to make it safe for everybody,” he said. Don’t panic, use common sense, wash your hands. Take 20-30 seconds, wash your hands, wash your thumbs and wash them good.”

He also reassured county residents and business owners that county officials are there to help.

“We’re here to work together. If you have a problem, we’ll work with you,” Callahan said.

Although county offices will be closed to the public, documents may be emailed or mailed and there will be drop boxes for people to leave their paperwork.

Councilman Frank Divilio said businesses with matters pending before a county department or agency should contact that department directly, rather than calling the county manager’s office.

Councilwoman Laura Price praised the county’s staff and said employees would be taking care of business.

“You should be very assured that (matters) are being taken care of as best we possibly can,” Price said.

The county’s emergency Monday afternoon meeting was held in the council’s usual meeting room, but the public also was able to listen in via teleconference. And Councilman Pete Lesher participated in the meeting via phone as well.

Similar technology will be used if the council or any of the county’s boards or commissions must meet on a critical matter.

There were a few glitches with the call Monday — some staffers were difficult if not impossible to hear — but officials said the county’s information technology staff will be working on improvements.

“We still have some bugs we’re trying to work out, it’s not a perfect system,” Pack said.

“These are unique times for the county to deal with, … (we’re) going to have some hiccups along the way,” Divilio added.

The county’s regular March 24 meeting is cancelled, as are two budget work sessions set for this week. Budget work sessions set for next week and the council’s April 14 meeting likely will be virtual, using live streaming or teleconference.

Easton closed public access to town buildings at 12 p.m. Monday, March 16, and closed public access to its Monday night town council meeting. Easton’s meetings are televised for live viewing on MCTV Channel 98 local access.

“Council, go home, wash your hands, be safe,” Pack closed the emergency meeting. “Hug your kids, make sure they wash their little hands as well. Be safe, check on your neighbors, take care of yourself.”

Hogan Closes Restaurant Dining but Keeps Drive-through, Carryout & Delivery Services Options

March 16, 2020 by John Griep

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has ordered all restaurants, bars, movie theaters and gyms in the state to close indefinitely beginning at 5 p.m. Monday. Hogan also has banned all gatherings of more than 50 people.

“We need to do our part to stop this deadly virus from spreading,” Hogan said in a late Monday morning press conference before announcing new executive orders to protect public health and safety.

Drive-through, carryout, and food delivery services will be allowed to continue to operate, the governor said. Essential services such as grocery stores, food delivery, gas stations, banks, and pharmacies need to remain open.

As far as other retail establishments, Hogan said, “we don’t want anyone congregating with more than 50 people in one place regardless of what kind of a facility it is, but we don’t want to completely shut down commerce and we want people to get the things they need.”

“We don’t want large crowds of people in small, confined spaces, but we want as much as possible for daily life to go on and for people to get the things they need, especially on essential services,” he said.

The governor said he expects federal and state resources to assist individuals and businesses.

“Following updated CDC guidelines, we are prohibiting any social, community, religious, recreational, sports gatherings or events of more than 50 people in close proximity at all locations, establishments, and venues all across Maryland,” Hogan said. “These emergency orders carry the full force of the law and will be strictly enforced.”

“I want to again reiterate that it is impossible to know how long this threat will continue,” Hogan said Monday. “What I do know is that we cannot afford to wait to take action. While these measures may seem extreme, if we do not take them now, it could be too late.

“I will make whatever decisions and take whatever actions are necessary to save the lives of thousands of Marylanders and to protect our way of life itself.”

On Twitter Sunday afternoon, Hogan had put restaurants and bars on notice, tweeting: “I want to once again reiterate that bars, restaurants, and other non-essential businesses across the state MUST comply with the executive order prohibiting mass gatherings. Failure to follow this order is a crime, and will be enforced if businesses fail to comply.”

“We’re no longer asking for people’s cooperation,” he said Monday. “We’re not fooling around anymore.”

The administration has activated 250 state troopers from the mobile field force to help with enforcement.

Hogan has ordered the state health department to assess closed hospital facilities across Maryland to determine if those could be opened for use during the pandemic and to take other measures necessary to immediately increase capacity by 6,000 hospital beds “in order to meet the demand created by the escalating spread of this virus.”

The governor said the state has activated the Maryland Medical Reserve Corps, “a force of 5,000 dedicated and trained medical volunteers who are ready to assist in a public health emergency,” with 700 already activated for deployment.

Hogan’s executive orders also will allow any medical professional with a valid out-of-state license or an expired Maryland medical license to practice medicine in the state during the state of emergency.

“What we’re experiencing here is unprecedented, it is a public health emergency,” Fran Phillips, the state’s deputy health secretary, said.

“The one response we can muster (right now) is social distancing,” she said. “The steps that every Marylander can take today to put that distance between themselves and others is vitally important to slow down the spread of this infection across our state.”

The state activated 400 National Guardsmen, including two area support medical companies over the weekend, with 1,000 members now fully activated and another 1,200 on enhanced readiness, “with their bags packed fully ready for activation,” Hogan said.

Karen Salmon, Maryland state school superintendent

The state education department has requested a federal waiver and will serve three meals a day and a snack to students who need it while schools are closed; 138 centers are already “up and operating,” the governor said.

Karen Salmon, state school superintendent, said the waiver, to allow schools to deliver more than two meals a day, hasn’t been granted yet, but the state is proceeding with its plans to do so.

To find a location, go to mdsummermeals.org, she said. “We anticipate serving about 100,000 meals over the next two weeks.”

Asked whether schools would close longer than the two weeks Salmon had previously ordered, she said, “We are actively looking at the modeling that shows where this virus is going.

“The reason I closed schools for two weeks is to give us some time to assess the situation.”

Hogan said the state also is looking at contingencies for the April 26 primary election.

In other executive orders:

• All utility companies — including electric, gas, water, sewer, telephone, cable TV, and internet service providers — are prohibited from shutting off services or charging late fees to residential customers.

• Evictions of any tenants are prohibited during the state of emergency.

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