Since then, we have taken a series of bold, aggressive actions to successfully flatten the curve and avoid the nightmare scenario projected by Public Health experts. As of today, we have had 34,812 confirmed cases of covid19 in maryland. A total of 6404 have been hospitalized in the state. And tragically, 1694 marylanders have died from this disease. But together, our actions and sacrifices prevented hundreds of thousands of marylanders from being infected and saved the lives of thousands of our friends, neighbors, and family members. This Global Pandemic has caused and is continuing to cause great hardship for so many people, not just here in the state, but all across america and around the globe. For the victims and the families of those who contracted the deadly virus, for the Frontline Health care workers, the doctors, nurses, first responders, for the Small Business owners and employees who were fighting for economic survival, and the hundreds of thousands of marylanders and tens of millions of americans who suddenly lost their jobs through no fault of their own and are struggling to pay their bills or to put food on the table, this truly is one of the most daunting challenges that our state and nation has ever faced. Unfortunately, the fight against this deadly disease is far from over, but because of the incredible courage you have shown and the extraordinary sacrifices you have made, maryland and our nation can now at least begin to slowly recover. Three weeks ago, we introduced our maryland strong roadmap to recovery, a safe, gradual, and effective plan which followed the guidelines issued by both the white house reopening plan for america and the National Governors associations guide to recovery for states, and Incorporated Many of the principles of the American Enterprise institute road map to reopening and the Johns Hopkins principles for a phased reopening. We also solicit input from our team of scientists, Public Health, and Business Experts and our multiagency State GovernmentCoronavirus Team to create this well thought out Recovery Plan for maryland. The plan contained four essential Building Blocks that needed to be in place before we could begin stage one of our recovery efforts. Expanded testing, increased hospital Surge Capacity and supply of ppe, and a robust Contact Tracing operation. We made it clear three weeks ago that if marylanders continued staying home and continued practicing physical distancing, we were hopeful that the key metrics we were tracking, the rate of hospitalizations, and the number of patients in icu would begin to plateau or decline in early may. Two weeks ago, we declared that we were no longer just playing defense, but going on offense, aggressively targeting and isolating outbreaks and clusters, focusing our attention and resources on the hotspot areas with the highest concentrations of cases, while increasing mitigation efforts on the remaining areas of the states. Last week with our Building Blocks in place and after a solid week of encouraging numbers, including a slight but significant decrease in hospitalizations and consistent plateauing of the icu numbers, our Coronavirus Recovery Team unanimously recommended revised guidelines which allowed for elective medical procedures to resume at the discretion of local hospitals and health care providers, and the broadening of the list of safe outdoor activities. We also gave local governments the flexibility to take actions at their discretion. We have been continuing to closely follow the key metrics over the past week. Today, i am pleased to announce maryland has achieved the 14 day trend of plateauing and declining numbers. The number of coronavirus hospitalizations is down from two weeks ago. The number of covid icu patients has plateaued for a significant period of time and is trending down in the past 14 days. The rate of new deaths is also trending downward. This allows us to cautiously and safely begin stage i of the Recovery Plan. Effective this friday, may 15 at 5 00 p. M. , we will be lifting the stayathome order and moving instead to a safer at home Public Health advisory. Based on extensive input from our Coronavirus Recovery Team and with guidance provided by the comprehensive reports from our 15 industryspecific advisory groups, we are also issuing guidelines for the safe reopening of the following, beginning at 5 00 p. M. On friday , may 15th. Retail stores in maryland may reopen with up to 50 capacity and with Strong Social distancing, masks, and other safety precautions while continuing to encourage Curbside Pickup and delivery. Manufacturing may resume operation in a safe manner which protects the health of employees with guidelines encouraging multiple shifts, to limit the number of people working at the same time, limiting proximity of employees, and other safety precautions. Some personal Services Including barbershops and hair salons may reopen at up to 50 capacity, by appointment only and with appropriate health and safety guidelines. Pet groomers, animal adoption shelters, carwashes, art galleries, and some other activities will also be able to begin reopening. Churches and houses of worship may begin to safely hold religious services. Faith and worship are such an essential part of the lives of so many people. Holding services outside is strongly encouraged. Religious leaders are strongly urged to do Everything Possible to keep their congregants safe and particularly to protect the elderly and vulnerable in their congregations. Inside services may be permitted at 50 capacity or less with appropriate distancing, masking, and safety protocols strongly advised. Reopening businesses are encouraged to take the maryland strong back to Business Pledge, which will help assure customers and members of the public that they are adhering to best practices and strict safety guidelines in order to keep marylanders safe. This back to Business Pledge can be printed and posted on your storefront by visiting open. Maryland. Gov backtobusiness. Yesterday, i led another call with county executives and local officials from every jurisdiction in the state. I assured county leaders that as we begin to slowly cautiously lifts restrictions at the state level, that we are providing for a flexible, communitybased approach which empowers individual county leaders to make decisions regarding the timing of stage i reopenings in their individual jurisdictions. As the state cautiously moves forward, we fully understand that not all counties are in the same situation. Just four of marylands 24 jurisdictions currently account for more than 70 of our states total confirmed cases. Prince georges and montgomery counties have the highest number of cases, and have made it clear they are not yet ready to move into stage i. Many other counties with a lower number of cases feel that they are able to do so. I want to be very clear. While lifting the stayathome order and gradually moving into stage i of the recovery is a positive step forward, it does not mean that we are safe or that this crisis is over. Low risk does not mean no risk. All marylanders, particularly those older and more vulnerable populations, are advised to continue staying home as much as possible. Employers should continue to encourage telework for employees whenever possible. Individuals who can work from home should continue to do so. People should continue Wearing Masks in indoor public areas, retail stores, and on public transportation. We know that in general, outside activity is safer than inside activity, and that at all times and everywhere, marylanders should continue practicing physical distancing and trying to stay six feet apart and to continue avoiding close gatherings of 10 people are or more. Everyone should keep washing their hands often and frequently sanitizing high touch areas. If these states want activities activities resume successfully without a spike in hospitalizations, sustained spike in icu cases or a significant unforeseen outbreak of Widespread Community transmission, then we will be in position to move to stage two of the plan. Unfortunately, the painful truth is that this virus will continue to be with us and to be a part of our daily life and potential outbreaks will continue to remain a deadly threat until a vaccine is widely available. Each and every one of us has an obligation to continue to exercise responsibility for ourselves, our families, coworkers, and fellow marylanders. So that as a community together, we can begin to safely get back to work and back to our daily lives. As we begin stage i of our recovery, i want to assure every marylander who may feel uneasy , and anyone who is concerned that we are moving either to either too quickly or too slowly, that each and every decision we make is both factbased and sciencebased land is made only after extensive consultation with our expert Coronavirus Recovery Team. We are continually monitoring the crisis. We remain focused on clusters, outbreaks, and hotspots. And i can assure you we remain ready to quickly and decisively respond to any changes in the facts on the ground, that we will continue to attack this virus with every tool at our disposal. This crisis has tested all of us in nearly every way imaginable, but it has also revealed the true character of marylanders. It has shown our ability to overcome any challenge and our capacity to show remarkable courage in the face of grave threats and overwhelming obstacles. Maryland has been and will remain at the forefront of fighting this pandemic. We are producing essential equipment for our Frontline Health care heroes and driving innovations to treat this disease, to create a vaccine, and save lives. And most of all, we are showing america and the world the power of compassion, generosity, and strength. We still have miles to go on this road, but we are all in it together, and if we stay strong, maryland strong, we will get through this together. With that, i will be happy to take questions. There are those out there who have said it is not time yet to open the doors. How difficult was it for you to make this decision . How confident are you Going Forward that you may still be able to keep it under control . Governor hogan these are all difficult decisions, and it is something we have been working on for many weeks. Its part of the plan we rolled out about three weeks ago. We have been constantly watching and looking at this and talking to the experts and in consultation with local leaders and scientists and doctors and Business Leaders. And we are hopeful the plan is the right one, but we are going to continue to watch and continue to monitor this on a daily basis. But we believe it is the right decision at this point in time and from all the input we have gotten, some people think we are moving too fast and some think we are moving too slow, so its probably about the right move. You mentioned there are a couple of jurisdictions that decided not reopen. Is there anything [indiscernible] some of the areas that reopened . Gov. Hogan i think there are concerns about that yes. Did any of the other experts sign off on this . Gov. Hogan yes. A couple of weeks ago, you said there were declining numbers everywhere. [inaudible] gov. Hogan when i laid out the plan three weeks ago, i said we wanted to see a plateau of the numbers, flattening of the numbers. And we look for a decline, and ually we have a leavening, we have a leveling, plateauing, and flattening of the numbers, and its what we were hoping for. Lifting the stay at home order, does that mean the outofstate travel ban is no longer mandatory and the quarantine that goes along with it . Gov. Hogan they were both just recommendations. There never was an order regarding any kind of mandatory quarantine. We were just advising people that they should consider quarantining. So it was never part of an order. We are still asking people to exercise caution and good judgment, but it wasnt part of any stayathome order. [inaudible] that, given close the numbers today . A lot of Business Owners say if , say, if we dont get back soon, i cant hang in any longer. What advice do you have two folks doing their best to stay open . Gov. Hogan the first question, the goal was not to fill up surge hospitals. It was to have them on hand and to not fill them up. The whole idea was to stop 300,000 infections and 12,000 that 12,000 deaths that were predicted, and that is what we successful in doing. We need to have Surge Capacity in case we did and or do get spikes. Im happy the surge hospitals now,ot overflowing right but im happy we have them on hand in case we need them. With respect to the businesses, i am a lifelong Small Business owner who ran for office because i wanted to grow Small Businesses and put people to work, and grow our economy. This is the worst economic since the great depression. I feel for those Business Owners. I understand they want to get reopen, and i understand people need to get back to work, but we are going about this in what we way, and wee a safe are trying to take into consideration economic and health considerations, and we did it in conjunction with all the best advice from all of the plans, in conjunction with our 15 work groups, with our Business Leaders and scientists and we are trying to move at the , right pace. I am anxious to move into phase two and get the rest of the business is open, but it depends on how everyone treats the first phase. If everyone goes crazy and does things that are unsafe, we will balloon back up and slow down the process. If everybody responds responsibly, we will be able to move forward quicker. With the expanded opening up of businesses, will Childcare Services be expanded to accommodate workers that were previously considered nonessential . Gov. Hogan that is one of the big things we are grappling with and trying to deal with, because as more people go back in we have a capacity now with daycaresential worker that are open and run by the school system, and we are broadening that to include people going back to work, but dr. Karen is working on a reopening plan which i think we will have early next week to get safely reopened additional day cares for folks going back to work. [indiscernible] Public Health experts say that without fully explained more testing. Is there a concern about the fact that maryland is on a 25 or 26 positivity rating . Gov. Hogan part of that is because we flattened the curve and took early and aggressive action. So we are hitting a little later in the process than other places that have already ballooned up, like around the country. It is because of actions we took, but part of it is because of the Population Centers in the baltimorewashington corridor. As i said, 70 of our infected rates are in four counties. I think 50 is in the two counties surrounding washington. And washington, prince georges, and Montgomery County and Northern Virginia right now are the hotspots in the country behind new york. , can you tell us how much talks with virginia officials you have, and how things look Going Forward . Gov. Hogan we have had great, ongoing, continuing discussions and great collaboration with both the district and virginia. We just had a discussion, i believe friday, with Governor Northam and mayor bowser. We are more in sync, i guess, with where virginia is then d. C. , because we are more alike. We have urban, suburban, and rural areas, whereas the district is simply an urban area. The district issues look more like Northern Virginia and our washington suburbs. It is not the same as Eastern Shore or western maryland or southern virginia. But we certainly have good input from both of them and took into consideration what was going on in both the district and in virginia. And i think we are all in accord on whats going on and working together on regional issues. [inaudible] will you be monitoring the numbers of those counties that at some point say your numbers, they have to move it along . Total latitude . How are you handling that . Gov. Hogan we will do everything we can to continue to assist county executives and Prince Georges County. They do have a serious problem. They do have the highest infection rate and our highest number of cases. Thats why we focus so much of our attention and why we are on hospital Surge Capacity, on where we put ppe, we are trying to focus more testing. And we understand exactly the issues they are dealing with and trying to provide support. We are in constant communication. We had a great conversation. We will work collaboratively with her. We do not want them to do anything they feel is unsafe for their county i think we will , jointly be following the progress there. And we want them to get numbers down. We want collectively to say we have made great progress and Prince Georges County is ready, but we dont want them to do it when they dont feel safe. Anthony brown put out a statement saying [inaudible] gov. Hogan we talked about that in the county call yesterday with all of the county leaders. I think Anthony Brown is confused, i dont think he understands the difference between swabs and test extraction kits and test kits. A lot of people are confused about this. There are nine different components that go into the testing. We have a huge supply of test kits. We have a half million of them. They never, ever go out to the counties. They never will. Those go to the labs. That is what the Scientists Use to do the actual, when they finalize the testing. They dont go out to anywhere. What goes out to the counties are the swabs and the extraction tubes. It is where they stick the thing in your nose, put it in a plastic tube with an agent, and off to the lab, who takes that test kit and does the study and gets the result and sends it back. So we have been great, better than almost anyone in the country on test kits. As i said when i made the enough smooth we were able to get a , halfmillion test kits, but we were very short as was everyone , in the country, on swabs, reagents, and lab capacity. On the lab capacity, we invested in the university of maryland. We are ahead of schedule on a new lab that will be able to process 20,000 tests a day. We went from 50 tests a day to 8000 now. Our initial goal was 10,000, which we should be at very shortly. We are up to speed on that. We just yesterday got our first swabs and extraction kits from been askingwe had for for months. We told the counties that we would get it out to them shortly so that they can start to do , more testing. But Anthony Brown was talking about, why havent we sent test kits that go to labs out to the counties . Thats never going to happen and it was never part of the plan. The 100,000 of the 100,000 swabs you requested from fema, how many came in the first shipment . Gov. Hogan we requested 350,000. They committed to 225,000. I think we got 75,000 yesterday with another 125,000 that are away alongy days , with the tubes and the stuff that goes with them. So it is not enough and what we , have been able to do so far is all the nursing homes, all the hotspots is where we have been using them. But the counties are short of those things. There were no swabs really in america. There was one place in the world that made them. It was in italy. The president used the defense production act to force companies in america to produce swabs. They finally have. And fema is slowly getting them out to us, finally. But i announced that was the big thing we were missing. Thank you. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2020] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] washington journal live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. Aming up thursday morning, genetics and medicine professor at Harvard Medical School discusses the science and Research Behind the coronavirus. Campaigns020 strategic director will be on to talk about the Michael Flynn investigation and president trumps reelection strategy. Former republican strategist rick elson, cofounder of the antitrump group the lincoln project, discusses why his Group Opposes president trumps reelection. Washingtonans journal live at 7 00 eastern sunday morning. Thursday morning. Join the discussion. Watched testimony from rick bright, former highranking st whose focusi was Vaccine Development and was recently removed from his post at the National Institutes from health. The house and Energy Commerce committees heard from bright about scientific integrity and the code of kadesh and the coronavirus response. Watch on cspan, thursday at 10 00 a. M. , on cspan. Org or listen on the free cspan radio app. Cspan has unfiltered coverage of congress, the white house, the supreme court, and Public Policy events, from the president ial primaries through the impeachment process, and now the federal response to the coronavirus. Cspansatch all of Public Affairs programming on television, online, or listen on our free radio app. And be part of the National Conversation through cspans daily Washington Journal Program or through our social media feeds. Americaseated by Cable Television companies as a public service, and brought to you today by your Cable Television provider. The select subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis held its first hearing with Public Health experts, including dr. Scott gottlieb and dr. Mark mcclellan. Witnesses talked about the need for robust testing and adequate Contact Tracing to spoil the spread of the virus. They also addressed Health Disparities in rural and Minority Community spirit this is about one hour 15 minutes. Minority communities. This is about one hour 15 minutes