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January 28, 2021

The Talbot Spy

The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Talbot County Community

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Talbot County Approves Final CARES Grant Allocations

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On December 8, Emergency Services Director Clay Stamp appeared before the Talbot County Council to seek approval for the final allocations of the County’s CARES Act funding.

This comes as jurisdictions around the country race to spend the last of the federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Talbot County, though, is steadily working the recovery plan it set in motion in May 2020.

“We don’t want to send back any money that would benefit our citizens,” says Council President Chuck Callahan. “Our team has worked hard to make sure that we have distributed the money where it is needed in our community — to the most vulnerable among us and directly to the business community.”

Early on, Talbot County appointed an executive team to oversee the distribution of funds.Members include Councilman Corey Pack, County Manager Andy Hollis, Emergency Services Director Clay Stamp, Finance Director Angela Lane, and Health Officer Fredia Wadley, M.D.

Of the $6.4 million allocated to the county, $3.2 million was earmarked for the Talbot County Health Department to use for public health initiatives related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The balance was to be spent by the Talbot County government for expenses directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the initial plan, the executive team allocated $1.2 million for a business grant program and another $1.2 million funded the county’s individual assistance program.

Additional funds were set aside for the Emergency Operations Center and Emergency Services to make substantial PPE purchases, to cover sheltering for emergency personnel with COVID-19 exposure, and to cover costs related to providing food to those in need. The balance was held in reserve for other expenses.

“Our executive team has helped us find true north when there were decisions to be made,” says Stamp. “We designed a plan that allowed us to both meet the needs of our citizens and be flexible enough to respond to unexpected needs.”

As December 30 and the end of the grant period approaches, the county’s CARES executive team finalized its plan for spending the estimated balance of funds in a way that maximizes the response on behalf of county residents and complies with the grant terms.

The proposal includes the following:

• Hazard pay for public safety employees for the period Talbot County was under a State  of Emergency (March 16 – June 30, 2020) – $367,000

• Grants to volunteer fire departments of up to $30,000 per department for their preparedness response as they continue to serve amid the pandemic – $190,000

• Mobile triage unit for Emergency Services to support the emergency public health response and vaccine delivery – $158,000

• Emergency assistance to Neighborhood Service Center for retention of a COVID-19 assistance staff position if state funding cut is made in CY20 – $5,000

The proposal also recommends the reallocation of funds in underused line items. Those expenditures include:

• Additional funding for small business grants to address unmet needs among county businesses and nonprofit organizations – $250,000

• Distribution of free holiday meals and small grants to the five standing food pantries in the county, as well as facility use cost to Easton Elks Lodge #1622 for mobile pantries -$53,000

• Mental Health First Aid care for Emergency Services personnel – $9,000

Finance Director Angela Lane notes that the proposed plan is based on projections with the final distribution from the Individual Assistance Program including child care assistance being highly variable. During the fall, the Department of Social Services was only receiving 12 applications per week. They are now receiving 17 applications per day, which represent varying levels of financial need.

The county council unanimously supported the distribution of the remaining funds and voted 5-0 to approve the plan.

Talbot Outlines Phase 3 Recovery

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Gov. Larry Hogan announced at his press conference on Sept. 1, 2020, that the state would be entering
the third phase of Maryland’s Recovery Plan for COVID-19 beginning 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4.

Phase three allows theaters to open at 50% occupancy or up to 100 people. Retail businesses and religious
facilities can move from 50% to 75% occupancy. Restaurants, personal services establishments, indoor
recreation venues, fitness centers, and gaming facilities remain at 50% occupancy.

Venues in Maryland at which live performances occur or where motion pictures are shown outdoors and at
which entry is limited to ticketed customers, may open with 50% of 0utdoor maximum cccupancy of the
venue or 250 persons, whichever is less. Senior Centers remain closed.

Masks On Maryland

The mandate on face covering did not change. The previous executive order requires anyone over the age of
five years to wear a face covering when indoors where the public is permitted, outdoors when six foot
distance can’t be maintained, on public transportation, in healthcare offices and facilities, and when engaged
in work in any area where interaction with others is likely or food is prepared or packaged. The same
exceptions are listed for mask wearing.

“As reopening continues, the risk of infection with COVID-19 will increase and an increase in cases will almost certainly occur,” said Health Officer Dr. Fredia Wadley. “Masks and social distancing will be even more critical to keep infection rates low.”

Adult Sports Reopen Sans Fans

A new directive and order was issued by Secretary Neall of Maryland Department of Health to
supersede the Directive and Order Regarding Community, Recreational, Leisure, Cultural and Sporting
Gatherings and Events, dated June 12, and June 10, 2020.

All adult sports gatherings may open without spectators. High school and college athletics may resume sports gatherings and events without spectators and with contact sports modified following CDC guidance.

All people within an indoor sports facility are to maintain six feet social distancing whenever possible, and wear a face covering when social distancing is not feasible.

CDC guidance provides a range of sports conditions that equate to four risk levels with contact sports
competition games being the highest risk. However, the CDC guidelines are vague about what level should be
allowed according to the level of transmission of the virus in the area. Health officers have posed many
questions to the Maryland Department of Health for guidance relative to the new executive order and the
secretary’s directive.

Non-School Related Youth Sports Allowed

On Aug. 3, 2020, the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA), in consultation
with the Maryland State Superintendent of Schools, the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), and the
Public School Superintendent Association of Maryland (PSSAM), decided to postpone the 2020 high school fall and winter competition season during the first semester.

Youth sports gatherings and events outside of public schools have been allowed to open since the Governor’s
Executive Order in June 2020 and these events can have parents and family as spectators with appropriate
social distancing.

The secretary’s directive reads, “For contact sports (wrestling, basketball and football) play should be modified to safely increase the distance between players following CDC guidance.”

Some parents want these youth leagues to require masks and other restrictions so there will be less risk for
COVID-19 infection for their youth, but not all parents hold this view. The vagueness around contact sports
guidelines will not likely be resolved with further guidance from the state.

“Needless to say, no one has found a way to maintain distance between youth in a wrestling match or during
tackle football,” Dr. Wadley said. “My recommendation now is that parents carefully consider the risk for
their child and make their own decisions about whether they are willing for their child to play contact sports
when masks and social distancing will be almost impossible to maintain.”

Open With Caution

“Most of our businesses in Talbot County have stepped up and are working hard to keep their customers
safe,” said Director of Emergency Services Clay Stamp. “But it’s more important than ever that we try to
achieve a balance between reopening and curtailing the spread of the virus.”

Once again, personal responsibility seems to be the key to getting more businesses and activities safely
opened.

“While our individual decisions and behavior to protect ourselves seem trivial in the big picture of a pandemic, they can be very effective, and they are all we have,” said Dr. Wadley. “Just because big gatherings are allowed doesn’t mean we should go. When businesses are not safe, don’t spend your money there. Further, since wearing masks and social distancing decreases the spread of COVID-19, let’s at least do that so our businesses can reopen and our children may get back to their classrooms again.”

Where to Find More Information

Hogan Announces Move to Phase Three Of COVID-19 Recovery

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Effective Friday at 5 p.m., Maryland will move into phase three of its COVID-19 recovery plan, allowing businesses, including music venues and movie theaters, to reopen at a limited capacity.

This is the third “and final” stage of recovery, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr (R) said at a State House news conference  Tuesday afternoon.

“I’m pleased to report that our early and aggressive mitigation efforts to fight COVID-19 have been extremely successful and that we have continued to see declining numbers in all of our key health metrics,” he said.

But local jurisdictions may still set and enforce greater restrictions, as needed.

Maryland has been in phase two of its recovery plan since early June. Officials chose to delay the move to phase three in late July following a mid-summer spike in COVID-19 cases.

Hogan touted the state’s positivity rate, which he said has decreased more than 80% since its peak of 26.91% in mid-April.

According to the Maryland Department of Health, the current positivity rate is 3.39%, which is a seven-day rolling average as a percentage of all tests.

Upon entering the third stage at 5 p.m. Friday, movie theaters and indoor arts venues will be allowed to open their doors to as many as 100 customers at a time. Outdoor venues may allow up to 250. Stores and houses of worship may now increase their capacity from 50% to 75%.

Mask wearing and social distancing mandates still apply to all persons over 5 years old when indoors, and when outdoors where it is not possible to maintain a distance of six feet or more from other people.

Kelly M. Schulz, the secretary of the Maryland Department of Commerce, said that the state has worked to support its small businesses, awarding over $175 million in grants and loans to keep doors open and employees paid.

According to Schulz, Maryland already has recovered 156,000 jobs.

“We have stayed strong during this pandemic, and we will remain vigilant,” she said. “Throughout the reopening process, we have worked closely with our partners in Maryland’s business community to make sure we help them get back to work in a way that keeps customers and employees safe.”

Leaders in the small business community lauded the announcement. Mike O’Halloran, state director of the National Federation of Business Owners, called Hogan’s decision a “step in the right direction.”

“Small businesses have borne the brunt of this economic crisis,” he said in a statement.

“A lot of obstacles remain but we’re hoping this news means more small businesses can begin tackling those hardships.”

O’Halloran blamed Hogan’s decision to give county officials the power to determine the pace of reopening as the roadblock to full recovery.

“The governor’s prior executive order giving control to local officials continues to muddy the waters on what business can and cannot do.”

Although Hogan is ready to move forward with the state’s reopening plan, the decision ultimately falls to county leaders to determine whether or not it’s safe to ease restrictions.

At least two have jumped at the opportunity to breathe life back into their jurisdictions.

Shortly after Hogan’s announcement, Harford County Executive Barry Glassman (R) and Howard County Executive Calvin Ball (D) announced their jurisdictions would move forward with phase three of the reopening plan as soon as possible.

“Harford County’s metrics remain low and we will continue to safely and quickly reopen to the extent permitted by Gov. Hogan effective at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, 2020,” Glassman said in a statement.

Hogan did warn Marylanders to not let their guard down as they go into the holiday weekend, stating that contact tracers have identified that family gatherings and house parties are the highest risk activities.

“I want to remind the people of Maryland that moving into stage three does not mean that this crisis is behind us, and remind them that we must remain vigilant so that we can keep Maryland open for business,” Hogan said.

By Hannah Gaskill

Hogan Lifts Stay-at-Home Order Effective 5 P.M. Friday

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Because of strides Maryland has made in containing the COVID-19 outbreak, the state will lift its stay-at-home order on Friday, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) announced Wednesday.

The move means most businesses can reopen and churches can hold services — both at limited capacity.

But Hogan cautioned that the adoption of “Stage 1” of the state’s reopening plan depends on residents wearing masks and practicing social distancing.

And he acknowledged that several of the state’s largest jurisdictions will not move into reopening mode at the same time as lesser-populated communities, due to elevated coronavirus infection levels.

“We are going about this in what we believe to be a safe way,” he told reporters at a late afternoon State House news conference.

“A lot of it depends on how everyone treats this first phase. If everybody goes crazy and does things that are unsafe, we’re going to balloon back up and slow down the process.”

Beginning Friday, at 5 p.m.:

• Most retailers can reopen at 50% capacity, provided customers abide by social distancing precautions and wear masks;

• Barber shops and hair salons can open at 50% capacity; and on an appointment-only basis

• Churches can hold services at 50% capacity

• Manufacturing plants can reopen if workers can be spaced sufficiently apart and wear masks, and if high-touch surfaces are kept clean

• Maryland bars and restaurants remain limited to carry-out orders.

Hogan said the move into Phase 1 of what he’s dubbed the “Roadmap to Recovery” was endorsed unanimously by the public health experts with whom he has been consulting.

“Maryland has achieved the 14-day trend of plateauing and declining numbers,” of hospitalization and ICU rates, he said.

In reality, the 12 highest days of total hospitalizations since the pandemic began occurred in the last 15 days. The reduction in total hospitalizations, to the extent the state has seen one, has come in the last 72 hours.

As of Wednesday, Maryland has had 34,812 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection, a jump of 751 from the day before.

The state reported 51 deaths Tuesday, bringing the total to 1,694.

Hogan said suburban Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia “are the hotspots in the country, behind New York.”

Hogan has been under growing pressure from GOP lawmakers and the business community to ease restrictions. Unemployment has spiked and many business owners have said they are at risk of failure.

Christine Ross, president and CEO of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, said the organization is “grateful that the day has come to begin moving into the first phase of economic recovery.”

The governor stressed that day-to-day life will continue to be affected by the pandemic. Maryland’s stay-at-home order is being replaced by a “safer-at-home” guideline. Hand-washing is strongly advised.

“It does not mean that we are safe or that this crisis is over,” Hogan said. “Low-risk does not mean no-risk.”

He encouraged businesses to use curbside pickup and delivery to reduce interaction between customers and store employees. He said workers who can telework should do so. And he urged people — particularly the elderly and those with health conditions — to avoid crowds.

With schools closed, many workers will soon find themselves in a child-care bind. Hogan said State Superintendent of Schools Karen B. Salmon will announce a daycare plan “early next week.”

“Like the governor, I am hopeful that this stage will go well and we can quickly open other businesses,” Talbot County Council President Corey Pack said in a statement. “But we must continue to take precautions to keep our residents, businesses, and workers safe.”

Talbot County Health Officer Dr. Fredia Wadley agreed.

“The COVID-19 virus is more dangerous now. But we are confident that by using some simple preventive measures we can slow the spread of this virus,” Wadley said. “We will continue to do everything we can to keep Talbot County safe and to work with our businesses so they can operate in a safe and effective way.”

Though the governor’s Stage I reopening plan offers a hope to Talbot County’s business community, Emergency Services Director Clay Stamp said we still have a long way to go before daily lives return to normal.

“We must continue promoting the use of safety measures for both individuals and our businesses to ensure a balance between getting people out but in a safe manner and helping some of our businesses and their teams get back to work,” he said. “We must remember: this is a marathon, not a sprint.”

Talbot County had 63 cases and one death as of Wednesday afternoon.

Prince George’s and Montgomery counties account for half of the state’s 34,812 infections, and local leaders in those counties have said they will not relax restrictions on business and social gatherings.

Baltimore County has 12% of the state’s case count and Baltimore City has 10%.

In a joint statement on Wednesday evening, County Executive John A. Olszewski Jr. (D) and Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young (D) also signaled that those two jurisdictions would also likely lag behind the rest of the state.

“For the Baltimore region to safely move into all of Phase One, we need more access to personal protective equipment, as well as increased testing capacity and more robust contact tracing,” they wrote.

“We’ve seen some progress in each of these areas, but we have to do even more.”

Young and Olszewski said they would take “a close look” at Hogan’s actions and determine their course in the next 24 hours.

“We acknowledge that this will not be welcome news to all of our residents,” the leaders said. “Individuals and businesses continue to make real sacrifices, and those sacrifices are preventing the spread of a deadly virus. However, rushing to reopen in our large, densely populated jurisdictions jeopardizes the lives of our neighbors and loved ones.”

The leaders of Howard County and Anne Arundel County also reacted with caution to Hogan’s announcement.

“Howard County does not meet many of the criteria that the Governor outlined in his four building blocks to reopen,” County Executive Calvin Ball (D) said in a statement.

In a statement on Twitter, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman (D) said he would review the provisions of Hogan’s recommendations with local officials and make decisions on how to proceed “in the coming days.”

Dr. George Askew, the top health adviser to Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D), told the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments on Wednesday that a number of factors are forcing Prince George’s to retain current restrictions.

Among them: the large number of “imported” infections from outside the county, the high number of “essential” workers who are at greater risk generally, and the disproportionate toll the virus has taken on people of color.

“While the rest of the state may continue to reopen, we have to take a measured and smart approach,” Askew said.

Montgomery County Executive Marc B. Elrich (D) issued a statement on Wednesday night saying that even though “our situation is improving,” the county will not reopen immediately.

These are the retailers that can partially reopen on Friday: Animal adoption shelters, art galleries, bookstores, car washes, clothing and shoe stores, florists, furniture stores, jewelers, lawn and garden stores, pawn shops, pet groomers, sporting goods stores, and tobacco and vape shops.

Even with Hogan’s announcement, the group ReOpenMD has a picket scheduled for Friday afternoon in downtown Annapolis, which it is calling “a peaceful assertion of our ‘right to protest’ Gov. Hogan’s lockdown and civil liberties violations.”

By Bruce DePuyt

Hogan Releases ‘Roadmap’ for Reopening State — But No Definite Timetable Yet

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Maryland will pursue a phased approach to business activity, social interaction and recreation, but the timing will be dictated by the state’s day-by-day tracking of its COVID-19 hospitalization rates, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. said Friday afternoon.

In releasing his eagerly anticipated three-part “roadmap” during a State House news conference, he cautioned that a premature rush to resume commerce — or an over-eager return to socializing — would result in a second wave of illness, hospitalization and death.

And until there is a vaccine, life will continue to be different, the governor warned.

“The number of new cases of COVID-19 is still rising here in Maryland,” Hogan said. “Maryland is not yet able to lift our restrictions.”

The governor’s plan for reopening businesses and easing the stay-at-home order will take place in three phases.

In Phase 1, which he said “could” begin in early May, the stay-at-home order would be lifted, many small businesses would be allowed to open and “lower-risk” community activities would resume.

Examples he listed included small retail shops, boating, golfing, fishing, tennis, outdoor religious activities, outdoor fitness and gym classes, and the resumption of outpatient surgeries and hospital procedures in counties with lower coronavirus infection rates.

Phase 1 would also bring flexibility for counties to open parks, playgrounds, recreation centers and libraries — “if they deemed that appropriate safety protocols could be followed,” a reference to the use of masks and social distancing.

If Phase 1 doesn’t result in “a spike in deaths” or ICU use, Maryland could move to Phase 2, the governor said. If hospitalizations see a sustained rise, there are clusters of new infections, or people aren’t complying with social distancing, the state can pause Phase 1 and not advance to Phase 2 until conditions improve.

In Phase 2, a “larger number of businesses would open” and “other public activities would come back online.” Those would include indoor religious gatherings, larger social gatherings, more normal transit schedules, and — potentially — restaurants and bars.

Phase 3 would allow for the return of “higher-risk activities” such as larger social events and entertainment venues, non-emergency hospital care and an end to restrictions on nursing home visits.

For Maryland to reopen, individuals must continue to be vigilant, Hogan said. And they should be prepared to wear masks and avoid crowds until there is a vaccine, which experts have said could take more than a year.

“If we try to rush this, and if we don’t do it in a thoughtful and responsible way, it could cause a rebound of the virus, which could deepen the economic crisis, prolong the fiscal problems and slow our economic recovery,” he said.

Dr. Thomas V. Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, speaks Friday afternoon at a press conference. Photo courtesy of the Executive Office of the Governor.

Dr. Thomas V. Inglesby, the director of the Center for Health Security of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, echoed Hogan’s warnings.

“It’s clear that if we open the state today, we would risk a fast acceleration in the epidemic to very high numbers,” he said. “New daily cases are plateauing. … For the state to move forward in easing social distancing in a lower-risk way, there needs to be a period of declining hospitalization, and ICU stays and deaths from COVID, in Maryland.”

“There isn’t a decline yet,” he added.

In linking the start of the phased recovery to the COVID-19 data that are compiled by the Maryland Department of Health each day, Hogan implicitly rejected the demands from ReOpen Maryland, the group which formed two weeks ago.

ReOpen, one of several groups to spring up around the country, held a noisy protest last Saturday in Annapolis, urging Hogan to allow normal social and business activity on May 1.

The administration has created 15 advisory groups, made up of health experts, business people, religious leaders and nonprofit organizations, to guide the state’s decision-making on when and how to allow for greater business activity and social interaction.

Though he expressed a desire to get his plan moving in “early May,” the governor stressed that it can’t precede a downward trend in the key metrics. “We won’t be able to just flip a switch. Unfortunately, life is not going to just immediately go back to normal. In fact, it is important to recognize that until a vaccine is developed, the way we go about our daily lives and the way we work is going to be significantly different for a while longer.”

Reaction to the rollout of the governor’s plan was generally positive — though there is a desire to see more detail and a wider outreach.

Mike O’Halloran, head of NFIB-Maryland, said small business owners who have been forced to close face a “very harsh reality” and are in greater need of “reliability.”

“This is their livelihood,” he said. “Their homes are collateral and if they don’t pay their bills, they are looking at some pretty dire consequences.”

“We understand that the administration is between a rock and a hard place,” O’Halloran added, “but we’re hopeful that moving forward that more details will be released — and in short order.”

ReOpen Maryland was highly critical, however.

“Destroying a state’s economy, restricting civil liberties, and straining families’ emotional well-being requires a far higher level of certainty than ‘guesswork,’” the group said in a lengthy statement. “We advocate for an end to the overly broad, economically and socially destructive shutdown and lockdown policies that have injured countless Maryland families and businesses and had a chilling effect upon civil rights.”

Howard County Executive Calvin S. Ball said he appreciated the governor’s conservative approach to reopening the economy, but he urged a greater voice for local governments — perhaps through the Maryland Association of Counties or the Maryland Municipal League.

“There will be specifics that relate to each of our counties and the City of Baltimore that we need to consider, and I think that we can do that collaboratively, working together,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Nancy J. King (D-Montgomery) said she was “totally impressed” with Hogan’s approach.

“I’m sure not in any big rush to go running out,” she said. “I want to get ahead of this thing before I’m ready to leave my home and go out and do stuff.”

Hogan said he is relying on a team of advisers that includes Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson, American Enterprise Institute President Robert Doar, Under Armour Executive Chairman Kevin Plank, former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and Ingelsby.

As of Friday, Maryland reported 16,616 confirmed cases of coronavirus, an increase of 879 from the day before. Nearly 800 people have died (723 confirmed and another 75 considered “probable”), with 24 fatalities occurring in the last 24 hours alone, according to the state Department of Health.

The state’s population centers account for more than half the state’s cases. Prince George’s County had 4,403, Montgomery had 3,227 and Baltimore County had 2,234.

Go to https://governor.maryland.gov/recovery/ to read the governor’s “Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery.”

By Bruce DePuyt

COVID-19: A New Road to Recovery with Rachel Goss

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Addiction is a disease of isolation, and for people in recovery dependent on social recovery meetings who are forced into isolation during the pandemic shutdown, it can be a dangerous time. From opioid treatment centers challenged with responsible methadone dispensing, to the closure of small 12-step meetings, the challenges of offering new pathways of connection are daunting. But the recovery community is meeting the challenge.

Almost immediately AA/NA and other recovery groups locally and internationally responded to the crisis by setting up online groups using the ZOOM platform where meetings can be accessed through cellphones or computers.

ZOOM meetings maintain the same formats as social meetings and offer different levels of anonymity. Some attend by voice only while others use the video link to interact.

Although there has been some concern with hackers forcing their way into meetings, ZOOM started remediating their security issues in early April and has pledged to guard against any ongoing vulnerabilities. Experienced members of ZOOM meetings will help newcomers set their security parameters.

Here, Rachel Goss a recovery advocate and volunteer networker for all things recovery on the Eastern Shore offers an overview of how the recovery community has responded to the pandemic.

Information and online meeting schedules can be found below:

Marylandmidshoreintergroup.org (go to virtual meetings page where they offer codes to join meetings).

Other resources are:

thefix.com
intherooms.com
celebraterecovery,com
retreathousehillsboro.org

If you know of other recovery resources offering virtual meetings, please add them in the comment section.