March 30, 2020
Media Contact:
Scott Peterson, Director of Communications, Office of Public Information, 202-277-9412
Lisa DeHernandez, Public Information Officer, Howard County Health Department, 410-428-7294
ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Today, Governor Hogan issued an Executive Order placing Maryland under a stay-at-home order that goes into effect at 8 p.m. this evening. Residents may not leave their homes except for essential job or reason, including food and medication pick-up, medical emergencies, essential work, or outdoor recreation with safe social distancing. The order can be read online here, with additional interpretive guidance here. Any person who knowingly and willfully violates the order is guilty of a misdemeanor, which will be enforced by the Howard County Police Department.
“Today’s order from the Governor stresses the seriousness of this virus as well as the penalties that can be enforced for those who do not comply,” said County Executive Ball. “There is no excuse for taking this directive lightly. To slow the spread, it is vital that we stay home and reduce contact with one another. I encourage us all to take extra precautions to keep everyone safe. I know that this uncertainty can cause a lot of stress and anxiety. This is a challenging time, but I promise that we will get through this together.”
Residents should expect to receive an alert on their mobile phones today announcing the stay-at-home order.
County Tax Sale Postponed
Additionally, because of the coronavirus pandemic the date of the County’s Tax Sale, originally scheduled for May 6, 2020, has been moved to August 5, 2020.
Recreation and Parks
The Department of Recreation and Parks is closing the following recreational courts to encourage social distancing and discourage any gatherings at parks:
- All basketball courts
- Volleyball courts
- Tennis courts
- Pickleball courts
- Skate parks
- Disc golf course
These additional closures will be in effect as of Tuesday, March 31st. Playgrounds will remain closed. Parks gates will remain closed, but the parks will be available for people to walk, run, hike or bike as long as they are practicing social distancing.
Rent and Eviction Guidance
For residents of rental properties in Howard County are reminded that Governor Hogan has temporarily prohibited evictions of tenants suffering substantial loss of income due to COVID-19, effective March 16. This Executive Order applies to you, if you have experienced any of the following significant losses:
- job loss
- reduction in hours
- closure of place of employment
- loss of child care
We ask all residents to retain any documentation to verify your loss, should you find yourself in a position of facing eviction from your landlord. For additional information on the Executive Order or Howard County’s guidance, you may call the County’s Office of Consumer Protection at 410-313-6420.
Health Department
When notified of a positive test for COVID-19 through laboratory electronic reporting, the Health Department staff seeks to contact the person who tested positive as soon as possible to interview them about their recent activities and close contacts. Depending upon their findings, the Health Department may reach out to those who might have had close contact with them to provide information regarding self-isolation and monitoring of symptoms or other steps as appropriate. While positive cases can usually be reached within a few hours, it can more difficult to reach those who are hospitalized.
There are several reasons why the Howard County Health Department may not reach out in a given instance:
- Person lives outside of Howard County. HCHD is only notified of positive tests for residents of Howard County.
- Person is positive, but the result hasn’t come into the electronic system yet. There can be a few-hours lag.
- Person was tested but the specimen has not been processed by lab yet. This can take several days.
In addition, it is not necessary or feasible to notify all individuals who may have had indirect, passing or casual contact with an infected individual. Those who become aware of an unspecific or unidentified exposure should follow all the recommended hygiene precautions and monitor themselves for signs of illness. You can find the Health Department’s full FAQs and more information about responding to COVID-19 here: https://bit.ly/2WH29pp
BGE
BGE announced today that service disconnections related to non-payment will be suspended and they are waiving new late payment charges until at least May 1st. BGE will also be working with customers on a case-by-case basis to establish payment arrangements and identify energy assistance options. BGE hopes this step provides some measure of relief to our customers during this time.