Maryland nursing homes must adhere to new directives to fight the spread of coronavirus, according to an emergency order enacted by Gov. Larry Hogan on Sunday and published on the governor’s website.
The directive includes a requirement for nursing homes to set up quarantine wards for infected residents and for all staffers to wear personal protective equipment or face a penalty of up to one year in prison and a $5,000 fine for knowingly violating the order.
“As we have been saying for several weeks, older Marylanders and those with underlying health conditions are more vulnerable and at a significantly higher risk of contracting, getting more severely ill, and dying from this disease,” the Republican governor said in a release posted to the website.
“Of major concern is that we currently have cases or clusters of cases at 81 nursing homes and long-term care facilities across the state. Our highest priority is keeping Marylanders safe, and we will use every tool at our disposal to protect the most vulnerable among us."
Some nursing homes in the state have become hotspots for the virus, including one in which nine patients have died and at least 99 others have tested positive for coronavirus, The Washington Post reported.
Maryland has reported at least 67 deaths overall from the coronavirus and more than 3,600 cases, according to The Hill.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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