Message from Cecil County Executive – May 13, 2020
Dear Cecil County Citizens,
In a press conference this afternoon, Governor Hogan provided information regarding Phase One of his Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery — his planned approach to begin reopening the state as the risks of the COVID-19 Pandemic begin to recede.
The Governor’s Roadmap to Recovery is based on four building blocks: availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), increased hospital surge capacity, expanded testing and more robust contact tracing.
Hogan’s directive states explicitly that the local government will be responsible, given local pertinent data to issue their own recommendations, guidelines and requirements for their reopening process. While the County can be more restrictive than the state, we cannot remove restrictions that the Governor retains in place.
You can read more about the Governor’s orders, including interpretive guidance, from today’s press conference online by visiting: https://governor.maryland.gov/coronavirus/.
Over the last eight weeks, we have learned to live our lives very differently than we define as ‘normal.’ Social distancing has become the new norm, and face masks are now required accessories as we venture out to the grocery store and work.
Working cooperatively with Cecil County Health Officer Lauren Levy and Director of Emergency Services, Richard Brooks, along with Sheriff Scott Adams and department leaders within county government, my intent is to create a plan that will begin to reopen our county while maintaining the health and safety of all Cecil County citizens. Our plan to Reopen Cecil County will be also be a phased approach.
Though it is my sincere expectation to return our local economy to a place where our citizens are back to work and our small businesses are once again thriving, I will not expose our citizens to unnecessary risks that endangers the overall health of our community.
In the coming days you will hear more about our plan to gradually lessen the restrictions and open Cecil County in a responsible manner. As the Governor stated today, appropriate hygiene practices like wearing a mask in public and respecting social distance guidelines will remain in place.
On Friday, May 15th at 1:00 p.m., I will hold a press conference via Facebook LIVE on the Cecil County Government Facebook page to discuss our initial plans to Reopen Cecil County. I invite you to log on and view the press conference. The media will be invited to call in to ask questions at the conclusion of the presentation. The video and transcript will be posted to the County’s website after the press conference.
As of today, we have lost 19 local citizens to this deadly virus. My deepest condolences remain with the families of those who have lost their loved ones and with those who are coping with the effects of COVID-19.
Sincerely,
Dr. Alan J. McCarthy
Cecil County Executive
